OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 


OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 


BY 

GEORGE  B.  FORD 

AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  RECONSTRUCTION 
BUREAU   IN   FRANCE 


ILLUSTRATED 
WITH  MANY 
PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1919 


h'h 


Copyright,  1919,  by 
The  Century  Co. 


Published,  Octoher,  1919 


A.  > 


PREFACE 

In  the  preparation  of  this  book,  as  compara- 
tively few  printed  documents  exist  in  which 
the  facts  about  devastation  and  reconstruction 
are  given,  I  have  been  obhged  to  collect  most 
of  my  data  at  first  hand  through  interviews 
with  government  officials  and  others  who  are 
particularly  active  in  reconstruction  work,  and 
by  making  trips  of  observation  from  time  to 
time  through  the  devastated  regions.  Every- 
where I  have  been  met  with  the  greatest  cour- 
tesy. Busy  and  overworked  public  servants 
of  every  grade  have  shown  an  eagerness  to 
help  me  secure  the  needed  facts.  I  cannot  ex- 
press too  strongly  my  appreciation  of  what 
they  have  done  to  make  this  book  possible,  and 
I  wish  to  take  this  occasion  to  thank  them  for 
their  generous  collaboration. 

500238 


INTRODUCTION 

France  has  borne  the  brunt  of  the  war. 
Over  1,400,000  of  her  best  men  have  been 
killed — nearly  half  of  the  total  lost  by  all  of 
the  Allies  exclusive  of  Russia.  From  being  a 
creditor  nation  to  the  extent  of  thirty  billion 
francs,  she  has  become  a  debtor  nation  for  a 
like  amount.  Her  best  industrial  and  agri- 
cultural districts  have  been  held  by  the  enemy. 
Her  foreign  loans  have  yielded  nothing;  her 
best  internal  revenue  has  been  cut  off;  her  fac- 
tories and  mines  have  almost  all  worked  for 
the  war;  she  has  exported  little ;  the  foreign  ex- 
change has  been  constantly  rising  against  her. 
Over  half  of  all  the  destruction  in  the  allied 
countries  is  in  France  alone  and  much  the  most 
difficult  half  at  that. 

It  is  only  natural  that  France  has  come  out 
of  the  horrible  anxiety  and  strain  of  the  war 
tired  beyond  belief;  and  exhausted  as  she  is  she 
has  to  meet  the  overwhelming  problem  of  get- 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

ting  back  on  her  feet  as  soon  as  she  can. 
Clemenceau  has  said  that  the  problem  of  re- 
construction, in  its  broadest  sense,  is  even 
more  difficult  than  that  of  the  war. 

And  yet  weary  France  is  attacking  this  gi- 
gantic task  with  a  courage  and  with  a  vision 
that  you  have  but  to  realize  to  admire  pro- 
foundly. She  has  the  will  to  win  the  Peace. 
Give  her  time  and  she  would  come  back  with- 
out special  outside  help.  However,  neither 
France  nor  the  Allies  can  afford  to  wait  that 
long,  for  a  slow  revival  will  mean  countless 
economic  and  social  disturbances  not  only  in 
France  but  reactively  throughout  the  world. 
It  is  not  only  our  moral  obligation  in  the  name 
of  humanity  to  help  France  now,  but  it  is  to 
our  selfish  advantage  to  do  so  to  protect  our 
own  prosperity  and  social  order. 

Only  those  who  have  been  in  constant  con- 
tact with  the  problem  in  France  can  begin  to 
appreciate  the  extent  and  the  hideousness  of 
the  devastation  Germany  has  caused  in  the  fair 
northern  land  of  France.  Only  those  who 
have  gone  out  of  their  way  to  find  out  can 
realize  the  wonderful  effort  France  is  making 
to  rise  from  the-  ruins.     Only  careful  study 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

will  show  just  how  the  Allies,  in  particular 
America,  can  help  effectively  and  in  a  way  that 
will  be  welcomed  by  France.  It  is  to  try  to 
get  at  the  truth  in  these  matters  that  this  book 
was  written. 

George  B.  Ford. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEE  PAGE 

Preface    v 


I     The  Exodus 


The  Evacuations — Refugee  relief  in  the  in- 
terior of  France — Those  that  stayed  behind — 
The  Repatriates — Work  of  the  French  local 
committees  and  the  A.  R.  C. 

II     Devastation 19 

History — How  distributed — Buildings — Pub- 
lic Works — Agriculture — Industry — Commerce 
— Furniture — Historical  Monuments — Contin- 
gent Losses — Belgium — Italy — Serbia — Ruma- 
nia— Poland. 

III  The  Retuen 64 

After  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  in  1914— After 
the  Battle  of  the  Somme,  1917— After  the  final 
German  retreat,  1918 — Summer  of  1919. 

IV  Public  Relief 80 

Development  of  Government  Relief — The 
Army — The  Ministry  of  Interior — The  Minis- 
try of  Liberated  Regions — Service  des  Tra- 
vaux  de  Premiere  Urgence. 

V     Private  Relief 95 

History — French,  British,  and  American  Re- 
lief Societies — Local  Committees — Anglo- 
American  Friends'  Mission — American  Com- 
mittee for  Devastated  France — Smith  College 
lielief  Unit — American  Red  Cross. 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

VI     The  State  Pays  Ali.  War  Damages  .   124 

History  —  Principles  —  Operation  —  Advances 
made  before  the  law  was  voted — Present  state. 

VII     Recent  Laws  Affecting  Reconstruc- 
tion    144 

Compulsory  Town  Planning  law — Expropria- 
tion by  Districts  and  Excess  Benefit  law — 
Reparceling  of  Rural  Property — Sanitary  laws. 

VIII     Government    Organization    for    Re- 
construction          155 

History — Ministry  of  Interior — Ministry  of 
Public  Works — Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions 
— Ministry  of  Industrial  Reconstitution — Min- 
istry of  Fine  Arts — Parliamentary  Committees 
— Local  Services — Budgets. 

IX     Private  Organization  and  Effort     .    22£ 

Cooperative  Societies — Syndicates — Purchasing 
Boards — Refugee  Societies — Welfare  Societies 
Health  Groups — Professional  organization — 
Business  organization — Labor  Unions — The  In- 
dividual effort. 

X     Results  and   Needs — American   Col- 
laboration   241 

Examples  of  progress  from  the  Field — Needs 
and  Projects — Health  and  Social  Welfare — 
Adoption  of  Towns — Program  of  American 
Collaboration — Gigantic  Task  before  France 
and  her  Heroic  effort  to  meet  it. 

Index 265 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Rheims  Cathedral Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

German  defenses 52 

Trees   wantonly    cut   down   by   the   Boches    at 

Bouza  Azette 52 

Nieuport 53 

A  destroyed  department  store  at  Nancy       .      .  53 

The  Cathedral  at  Ypres 60 

The  old  Town  Hall  at  Rheims 61 

The  Cloth  HaU  at  Ypres 61 

A  typical  government  portable  town  hall  and 

school 84* 

A  typical  government  portable  hut  ....  84 

The  interior  of  a  portable  hut  for  refugees      .  85 

The  interior  of  a  typical  wooden  hut     ...  85 

A  home-made  home  at  Esmery  Hallon,  Somme  .  92 

The  only  two  homes  in  Nieuport  in  April,  1919  92 

American  Red  Cross  Warehouse  Districts  .      .  93 

A  house  destroyed  by  a  nineteen-inch  German 

shell 120 

xiii 


xiv  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


A  house  repaired  by  the  Friends       .      .      .      .121 

Refugees  from  the  North  in  barracks  at  Dreux, 

Normandy 121 

French  architects  and  contractors  in  Paris  in- 
vestigating official  experimental  construc- 
tion with  mud 148 

Official  experimental  farm  buildings,  made  with 

mud  walls — Paris 148 

Official  experiment  with  rough  barn  construction 

—Paris 149 

A  home  of  broken  bricks  and  mud  mortar,  Es- 

mery  Hallon,  Somme 149 

Rebuilding  a  store  at  Rheims 156 

The  baker's  house  at  La  Bassee 156 

A  house  repaired  by  the  American  Red  Cross    .  157 

Quimper,  Brittany 157 

The  whole  town  of  Dixmude  in  April,  1919  .       .  196 

House  at  Gruny  repaired  by  Friends     .       .       .196 

A  colony  erected  by  the  English  Friends       .       .  197 

Friends  putting  up  one  of  their  own  portable 

huts 197 

American  Red  Cross  trucks  unloading  relief  sup- 
plies at  the  Town  Hall  in  Peronne       .      .    204 

The  living-quarters  of  the  Smith  College  Relief 

Unit  at  Grccourt,  Somme 204 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xv 

FACING 
PAGE 

Vitremont,  Meurthe-et-Moselle W5 

The  traveling  store  of  the  Smith  College  Relief 

Unit  at  Canizy,  Somme 205 

Lens 244 

Deserted   medieval   town   of   Concy-le-Chateau, 

Aisne 244 

Noyon  in  1919 245 

Vitremont,  Meurthe-et-Moselle 252 

The  carpenter  shop  of  the  American  Committee 
for  Devastated  France,  at  Blerancourt, 
Aisne 252 

Reclamation  of  land  in  the  devastated  region  of 

France     ..........   258 


OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 


OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   EXODUS 

In  the  early  summer  of  1914  it  would  have 
been  hard  to  find  a  more  smiling  or  a  happier 
land  than  the  region  comprising  the  north  of 
France  and  Belgium.  With  its  large,  sub- 
stantial, well-stocked  barns,  its  fine  herds  of 
cattle,  its  factories  humming  night  and  day,  its 
coal-  and  iron-mines  swarming  with  workers,  it 
was  one  of  the  richest  and  most  prosperous 
parts  of  Europe. 

Many  millions  owed  their  bread  to  the  wheat 
grown  on  its  fertile  acres.  The  black  top-soil 
is  often  three,  four,  and  even  six  feet  deep,  and 
so  compact  that  even  after  months  of  drought 
it  is  moist  and  firm  a  few  inches  below  the  sur- 
face. When  those  of  us  who  are  farmers  hear 
that  the  poorest  of  this  land  raised  eighteen 

and  twenty-five  bushels  to  the  acre  and  that  the 

3 


¥•''  ••' oi^^  RUINS 

best  raised  fifty  and  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre, 
with  an  average  of  about  thirty  or  thirty -two, 
we  appreciate  how  important  a  part  it  must 
have  played  in  the  feeding  of  France  and  Bel- 
gium. 

Aside  from  the  cereals,  this  country  was 
especially  famous  for  its  beet-sugar,  for  most 
of  the  supply  of  France  came  from  here.  All 
through  the  country  districts  one  used  to  find 
great  sugar-mills,  each  fed  by  a  large  sur- 
rounding farm  area. 

And  consider  its  output  of  coal.  Remem- 
ber that  France  produced  40,844,000  tons  of 
coal  before  the  war,  about  3  per  cent,  of 
the  world's  production.  (Belgium  produced 
22,000,000.)  Yet  out  of  these  forty  million 
tons,  nearly  thirty-two  million  of  the  best  grade 
came  from  this  northern  district. 

All  the  cities  and  larger  towns  of  the  region 
were  noted  for  their  textile  factories.  When 
we  learn  that  almost  all  of  the  linen  manufac- 
ture of  France,  nearly  all  of  its  woolen-weav- 
ing, and  two  thirds  of  its  cotton  cloth  came 
from  the  North,  we  begin  to  realize  what  an 
important  part  it  played  in  the  life  of  the 
country. 


THE  EXODUS  5 

The  thing  that  used  to  surprise  foreigners 
travehng  through  this  region  was  its  substan- 
tial character.  Whether  in  the  brick  region  of 
the  North  or  the  stone  region  of  the  East,  even 
the  most  simple  farm-house  or  barn  was  built 
solidly  of  good  masonry  and  had  the  air  of 
being  there  for  all  time.  Even  the  working- 
men's  houses  around  the  mines  and  the  fac- 
tories were  substantially  constructed,  and 
while  they  often  left  much  to  be  desired  in  the 
matter  of  sanitation,  they  at  least  were  not 
flimsy  or  cheap -looking.  There  were  fine 
roads  everywhere^ — hard,  smooth,  level  thor- 
oughfares, excellent  for  the  farm  truck  or  for 
the  tourist's  automobile.  Everywhere  there 
were  double-track  permanent  railways,  or,  in 
the  country  districts,  little  narrow-gage  roads 
which  fed  into  the  main  lines.  There  was  a 
complete  network  of  canals  throughout  the 
country  and  new  ones  were  constantly  being 
built.  Transportation  was  cheap  and  conven- 
ient. 

And  everywhere  there  were  beautiful  works 
of  art.  Some  of  the  most  wonderful  cathe- 
drals and  churches  of  France  were  in  that 
northern  region.     It  is  necessary  only  to  men- 


6  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

tion  the  names  of  the  cathedrals  of  Rheims, 
Amiens,  Noyon,  Beauvais,  Laon,  St.  Quentin, 
and  Soissons,  to  recall  some  of  the  most  delight- 
ful memories  of  France.  The  charming  town 
hall  and  arcaded  square  at  Arras,  the  old 
Louis-Thirteenth  town  hall  at  Rheims,  the  fa- 
mous old  fortresses  at  Coucy-le- Chateau,  Ham, 
and  Verdun,  are  among  the  most  interesting 
monuments  that  have  come  down  to  us  from 
the  past.  These  and  hundreds  of  others  are  all 
in  this  part  of  France. 

In  August,  1914,  the  Germans  swarmed 
over  this  smiling  land,  driving  before  them 
those  who  could  get  away,  but  coming  so  fast 
that  the  majority  of  its  inhabitants  did  not 
have  time  to  flee.  During  August  and  the  first 
week  in  September,  in  1914,  over  a  million  and 
a  half  persons,  with  the  few  belongings  they 
could  take  with  them,  crowded  the  trains  and 
other  conveyances  of  every  sort,  or  went  on 
foot  driving  their  cattle  before  them  and  carry- 
ing their  possessions  on  wheelbarrows  or  in 
baby-carriages.  All  mixed  up  with  them  were 
the  retreating  troops  and  the  wounded  coming 
back  from  the  front,  or  the  fresh  troops  going 


THE  EXODUS  7 

forward   to   try  to   stem  the   invading  tide. 
Every  road  was  choked  with  people. 

The  first  of  the  population  to  be  rolled  back 
took  refuge  in  the  larger  towns  like  Arras,  St. 
Quentin,  and  Rheims,  only  to  be  driven  out 
again  to  more  distant  ones,  like  Amiens,  Com- 
piegne,  Chateau-Thierry,  and  Chalons-sur- 
Marne,  whence  once  more  they  were  driven 
back,  into  the  interior  of  France.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  crowded  into  Paris,  then  fled  into 
the  interior  as  the  Germans  came  within  shell- 
ing-distance  of  the  city.  Even  the  French 
Government  moved  to  Bordeaux,  and  all 
through  France  every  mode  of  locomotion  was 
taxed  to  the  utmost.  The  Ministry  of  the  In- 
terior and  a  special  civilian  service  of  the 
Ministry  of  War  took  charge  of  the  situation, 
rounded  up  the  refugees  as  well  as  they  could, 
and  distributed  them  more  or  less  evenly 
throughout  the  interior  departments.  The 
refugees  who  had  relatives  in  the  interior  of 
France  went  directly  to  live  with  them;  those 
who  had  plenty  of  money  available  took  care  of 
themselves;  but  nearly  a  million  and  a  half 
refugees  had  to  be  taken  care  of  by  the  State 


8  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

from  the  very  beginning,  and  this  number 
gradually  increased  to  nearly  two  million  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  war. 

The  refugees  were  destitute.  In  1918  I  saw 
seventy-five  thousand  of  them  pour  through 
Paris  in  the  last  days  of  May  and  the  first 
days  of  June,  driven  back  by  the  German  ad- 
vance at  Chateau-Thierry.  They  arrived  a 
thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  to  a  train  at  all 
hours  of  day  and  night,  with  the  stations  pitch- 
black  while  the  air  raids  were  going  on:  bent 
old  men  and  women,  children  in  arms,  with 
goats  and  chickens  and  baby-carriages  and 
endless  bundles — ^whatever  they  could  manage 
to  save  and  carry  away  with  them.  Most  of 
them  had  only  the  clothes  they  wore.  Many 
of  them  had  ridden  a  day,  or  even  two  days, 
without  food.  They  wandered  about  in  a 
daze,  quite  helpless;  most  of  them  peasant 
farmers  who  had  never  in  their  lives  been  more 
than  a  few  miles  away  from  their  homes. 

From  the  very  beginning  the  French  Parlia- 
ment voted  emergency  credits  to  take  care  of 
these  refugees.  In  the  autumn  of  1914  a  law 
was  voted  giving  an  allocation  of  1  fr.  25  per 
day  for  adults  and  0  fr.  50  per  day  per  child. 


THE  EXODUS  9 

In  addition,  special  allocations  were  made  for 
rent,  sickness,  and  other  things.  Further- 
more, each  prefet  of  each  of  the  eighty-six  de- 
partments of  France  was  given  an  emergency- 
fund  with  which  to  feed,  clothe,  shelter,  and  to 
provide  furniture,  coal,  etc.,  for  the  refugees. 

The  Ministry  of  the  Interior  Bureau,  under 
Monsieur  Ogier  and  his  assistant  Monsieur 
Imbert,  distributed  the  refugees  throughout 
the  interior  of  France  in  proportion  to  the 
original  number  of  inhabitants  in  a  depart- 
ment. At  first  the  allotment  was  about  1% 
per  cent,  of  the  normal  population,  but  as  the 
new  advances  occurred  and  as  the  repatriates 
came  back  through  Switzerland,  it  was  grad- 
ually increased  to  3  per  cent,  or  4  per  cent, 
generally,  and  in  some  departments  10,  12,  and 
even  15  per  cent,  of  the  population  were  refu- 
gees. 

In  their  first  onrush  the  Germans  came  so 
unexpectedly  and  so  fast  that  most  of  the  civil- 
ians in  Belgium  and  over  half  of  those  in  north- 
ern France  remained  where  they  were  and  suf- 
fered four  and  a  half  years  of  German  occupa- 
tion. We  have  heard  countless  stories  of 
German  atrocities,  a  great  many  of  which  ap- 


10  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

pear  to  be  true.  The  invaders  did  carry  away 
everything  that  they  could  possibly  use,  and 
not  only  things  of  industrial,  commercial,  or  art 
value;  they  even  stripped  the  homes  of  furni- 
ture, utensils,  clothing,  etc.  They  did  force  a 
great  many  people  to  work  for  them,  often  as 
slaves;  they  did  drive  a  number  of  men  and 
women  back  into  Germany;  they  were  con- 
stantly punishing  or  shooting  those  who  stood 
out  against  their  whims.  But  one  of  their 
most  dastardly  crimes  was  their  wholesale 
starving  of  the  children  of  the  North.  A  thor- 
ough medical  investigation  recently  made  in 
Lille,  the  biggest  manufacturing  city  of  the 
North — with  two  hundred  and  eighteen  thou- 
sand inhabitants  before  the  war — shows  that  of 
the  children  between  six  and  thirteen  years  of 
age,  of  whom  over  sixteen  thousand  stayed 
through  the  occupation,  to-day  more  than  70 
per  cent,  are  either  tubercular  or  so  under-de- 
veloped that  their  condition  is  dangerous. 
Hundreds  of  children  are  no  larger  or  heavier 
than  they  were  five  years  ago.  This  is  due 
solely  and  exclusively  to  deliberate  starvation 
at  the  hands  of  the  Germans. 

When  the  Germans  were  pushed  back  in  the 


THE  EXODUS  11 

spring  of  1917  in  the  Somme,  the  Aisne,  and 
the  Oise,  several  hundred  thousand  of  these 
civilian  prisoners  were  uncovered  and  sent 
back  into  the  interior  of  France,  where  they 
added  to  the  congestion  already  existing  there. 
To  be  sure,  most  of  them,  as  well  as  many  of 
those  who  were  evacuated  in  1914,  sought 
refuge  in  the  departments  just  west  and  south 
of  the  war  zone,  that  they  might  rush  back  to 
their  homes  as  soon  as  the  Germans  were  driven 
out.  This  meant  a  special  congestion  in  the 
cities  and  larger  towns  in  all  of  the  region  just 
back  of  the  war  zone.  Some  of  these  cities — 
with  the  billeting  of  troops,  the  housing  of 
munition  workers,  and  the  influx  of  refugees 
— ^had  a  population  over  double  that  which 
they  had  before  the  war  and  all  without  any 
new  buildings  being  erected  to  accommodate 
the  new-comers.  This  was  especially  true  in 
places  like  Troyes,  Dijon,  Beauvais,  Rouen, 
and  Bourges. 

During  the  latter  years  of  the  war,  as  the 
Germans  began  to  feel  the  pinch  of  starvation 
themselves,  they  evacuated  large  numbers  of 
the  French  civilian  prisoners  through  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland  and  so  into  France, 


12  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

During  1918  they  sent  them  back  in  train- 
loads — ^men,  women,  and  children — at  the  rate 
of  one  thousand  to  two  thousand  a  day.  In 
all,  up  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  nearly 
five  hundred  thousand  persons  had  been  sent 
back  in  this  way.  The  Swiss  Government  and 
Swiss  charitable  societies  took  wonderful  care 
of  them  as  they  were  passing  through,  while 
expediting  their  journey  across  Switzerland 
as  much  as  possible.  The  repatriates  entered 
France  at  Evian-les-Bains,  on  the  border  of 
Lake  Geneva.  There,  the  Casino  was  turned 
into  a  great  hospitable  receiving-station,  where 
the  people  were  given  a  glowing  welcome  home 
and  medical  attention,  money,  food,  clothing, 
anything  that  they  had  to  have  immediately. 
There  was  also  a  great  system  of  card-cata- 
logues by  means  of  which  the  repatriates  could 
get  in  touch  with  their  relatives  or  friends  in 
France,  and  vice  versa. 

The  repatriates  spent  only  a  day  or  two  at 
most  at  Evian.  If  they  had  relatives  or 
friends  who  would  take  care  of  them  they  were 
allowed  to  go  directly  to  them  by  themselves; 
but  all  the  rest  of  the  repatriates  were  sent  in 
blocks  of  nine  hundred  first  to  one  department 


THE  EXODUS  18 

and  then  to  another,  in  the  interior  of  France, 
wherever  the  local  authorities  could  best  absorb 
and  take  care  of  them. 

Since  the  armistice  most  of  the  people  who 
were  in  the  invaded  regions  during  the  Ger- 
man occupation  have  stayed  on  where  they 
were,  unless  their  homes  were  too  badly  dam- 
aged, in  which  case  they  went  on  into  the  in- 
terior of  France.  At  the  same  time  a  great 
many  of  the  repatriates  released  from  Ger- 
many, stopped  off  at  their  homes  in  the  lib- 
erated regions,  but  many  had  to  come  on  into 
the  uninvaded  portion  of  the  country  because 
nothing  was  left  for  them  to  live  in.  The  re- 
turning military  prisoners  went  directly  to 
their  homes,  wherever  these  were  in  France. 

All  of  these  things  combined  would  have 
meant  a  considerable  increase  in  the  popula- 
tion in  the  interior  of  France  except  for  the 
fact  that,  since  the  armistice,  many  hundred 
thousands  of  refugees  have  returned  to  the  lib- 
erated regions.  Even  so,  in  the  devastated 
villages  not  over  one  third  of  the  original  popu- 
lation has  yet  come  back.  There  are  to-day 
nearly  a  million  and  a  third  refugees  and 
repatriates    outside    the    former    war    zone, 


14  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

most  of  them  waiting  for  a  chance  to  get  back. 

All  along  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior, 
working  through  the  prefets  and  sous-prefets 
of  the  seventy-odd  departments  outside  the 
war  zone,  have  done  everything  they  could  to 
ease  the  lot  of  the  refugees.  Considering  the 
strain  they  have  been  under  for  nearly  five 
years,  the  officials  and  citizens  of  the  thirty- 
thousand-odd  towns  throughout  the  interior  of 
France  have  been  remarkably  patient  with  this 
influx  of  "Foreigners,"  as  they  call  the  refu- 
gees, for  nowhere  in  France  is  there  a  village 
or  a  hamlet  so  small  but  it  has  had  to  billet  its 
quota  of  these  unfortunates. 

When  a  prefet  of  a  department  received 
word  from  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  that  on 
such  and  such  a  date  he  would  receive  a  train- 
load  of  refugees — that  is,  about  nine  hun- 
dred or  a  thousand  of  them — he  would  prepare 
a  receiving-  and  sorting-station,  where  they 
could  be  lodged  and  fed  until  they  could  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  department.  Then 
he  would  get  in  touch  through  the  sous-prefets 
with  the  mayors  of  the  five  or  six  hundred  com- 
munes within  his  department  and  find  out  how 
many  each  could  care  for,  and  if  the  train-load 


THE  EXODUS  15 

of  refugees  could  be  divided  up  and  one  car- 
load sent  here  and  another  sent  there  directly, 
the  matter  would  be  arranged  that  way  by 
preference;  but  if,  as  was  more  usually  the 
case,  more  time  was  needed  in  which  to  prepare 
permanent  lodging  for  the  refugees,  they 
would  be  held  at  the  central  receiving-station 
often  for  several  weeks  before  they  could  be 
sent  on. 

The  prefets  and  mayors  requisitioned  many 
apartment  houses  and  other  buildings  for  the 
refugees.  However,  in  March  and  May, 
1918,  when  the  great  German  drives  rolled 
back  so  many  people  into  the  interior,  the  hous- 
ing problem  became  very  acute.  The  Minis- 
try of  the  Interior  was  obliged  to  make  emer- 
gency arrangements  with  the  Ministry  of  War 
for  the  assignment  of  four  hundred  army  bar- 
racks, each  twenty  feet  wide  by  a  hundred  feet 
long,  and  nine  hundred  portable  houses,  each 
with  two  rooms  and  a  shed.  The  Ministry  of 
War  put  these  barracks  up,  usually  in  colonies, 
wherever  the  prefets  of  the  departments  felt 
they  were  most  needed.  The  biggest  of  these 
colonies  were  at  Quimper,  in  the  Finistere, 
where  the  authorities  were  prepared  to  lodge 


16  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

two  thousand,  five  hundred  refugees  at  a  time. 
In  these  colonies  there  were  usually  common 
kitchens  and  dining-rooms,  work-rooms,  recre- 
ation-rooms, chapels,  hospitals,  and  dispensa- 
ries ;  in  fact,  everything  necessary  to  community 
life. 

In  addition  the  prefets  distributed  clothes, 
special  food,  money,  and  anything  absolutely 
needed  for  the  refugees'  existence  and  health. 
Carrying  on  this  work  on  so  enormous  a  scale, 
with  only  a  small  amount  of  help  available,  the 
Government  could  do  no  more  than  supply  the 
bare  necessities.  Wonders  were  accomplished 
in  the  supplying  of  things  essential  to  exist- 
ence, but  naturally  very  little  could  be  done 
to  help  the  refugees  really  to  live  in  comfort 
and  enjoyment.  It  was  in  helping  out  with 
these  various  extras — the  things  that  made  the 
difference  between  living  and  merely  existing; 
the  things  that  were  needed  to  keep  up  the 
morale — ^that  the  several  French  and  foreign 
charitable  societies  did  so  much  good  work. 

Up  to  the  summer  of  1917  this  work  was 
done  by  a  number  of  French,  British,  and 
American  societies;  but  then,  when  conditions 
were  becoming  more  and  more  acute,  and  the 


THE  EXODUS  17 

morale  was  getting  lower  and  lower,  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  came  into  the  field  and  organ- 
ized a  huge  service  for  the  care  of  the  refugees, 
under  Dr.  Edward  T.  Devine  and  Mr.  Homer 
Folks.  They  organized  a  corps  of  workers  in 
every  department  of  France  and,  in  direct  col- 
laboration with  the  prefets  and  the  local  au- 
thorities, they  distributed  enormous  quantities 
of  food,  clothing,  utensils,  furniture,  and  tools ; 
they  helped  to  find  work  for  thousands  of  refu- 
gees; they  helped  the  farmers  to  get  agricul- 
ture started,  and  found  homes  or  improved  the 
lodging  for  some  twenty  thousand  persons. 

In  scores  of  the  larger  centers,  where  no  lo- 
cal committee  existed  for  taking  care  of  the 
refugees,  the  American  Red  Cross  organized 
one  and  then  proceeded  to  work  through  that 
committee.  The  French  authorities  have  paid 
an  overwhelming  tribute  to  the  American  Red 
Cross  and  other  societies  for  the  wonderful 
helping  hand  they  gave  during  this  emergency, 
and  in  particular  for  the  effect  their  assistance 
had  on  the  morale  of  the  refugees  who  were  so 
fast  becoming  discouraged. 

With  very  few  exceptions  the  farmers  who 
were  driven  out  of  the  North  wanted  and  still 


18  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

want  to  get  back  as  soon  as  they  can.  A  large 
proportion  of  them  own  more  or  less  property, 
and  their  only  wish  in  hfe  is  to  return  to  it. 
Most  of  the  industrial  population,  even,  is  try- 
ing to  get  back  as  soon  as  it  can,  despite  the 
fact  that  many  of  these  people  have  been  mak- 
ing a  good  living  in  the  interior  during  the  war. 
Their  relatives  and  friends  are  in  the  North, 
and  they  still  feel  like  strangers  among  the 
people  of  the  West  and  South  of  France,  where 
customs  and  manners  and  even  speech  are  so 
different. 

There  seems  to  be  a  very  general  feeling  that 
almost  every  one  from  the  undestroyed  parts 
of  the  liberated  regions  will  return  to  their 
homes;  and  to  the  destroyed  parts  of  the  lib- 
erated regions,  where  some  two  and  a  half  mil- 
lion people  lived  before  the  war,  it  is  estimated 
that  from  80  to  85  per  cent,  of  the  original 
inhabitants  will  go  back. 


CHAPTER  II 

DEVASTATION 

Those  who  visited  Rheims  before  the  war  re- 
member it  as  a  charming  city  of  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  full  of  life 
and  activity,  centering  about  its  wonderful 
cathedral. 

To-day  it  is  like  a  buried  city  of  the  past. 
Of  its  fourteen  thousand  buildings  nine  thou- 
sand have  completely  disappeared,  except  for 
an  occasional  gaping  party  wall.  The  other 
five  thousand  buildings  have  all  been  badly 
damaged  and  in  the  case  of  most  of  them  it  is 
a  great  question  whether  or  not  they  can  even 
be  repaired.  All  of  the  great  textile  factories 
which  were  the  life  of  Rheims  are  gone — just 
a  mass  now  of  brick  and  wood  and  rusty  iron. 

When  the  people  began  to  come  back  after 
the  Germans  had  been  driven  away,  they  found 
nothing — no  water-supply;  no  electricity;  the 
railroads  destroyed,  and  also  the  canals;  no 

19 


20  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

sanitary  arrangements ;  nothing  but  the  bleach- 
ing bones  of  the  town,  and  over  all  the  mar- 
tyred cathedral,  perhaps  more  beautiful  than 
ever  in  its  mutilation,  a  monument  to  German 
barbarity. 

The  little  village  of  Grecourt  in  the  Somme, 
the  headquarters  of  the  Smith  College  Relief 
Unit,  had  only  forty-seven  inhabitants  before 
the  war;  when  the  Germans  were  driven  out 
in  the  spring  of  1917  the  Allies  found  no  inhab- 
itant left  in  the  town.  The  invaders  had 
driven  into  Ham  and  Nesle  those  that  had 
stayed  through  the  German  occupation,  and 
then  had  burned  and  dynamited  all  the  build- 
ings. There  were  about  five  hundred  acres  of 
cultivable  land  in  the  town,  which  was  left  in 
fairly  good  condition;  but  by  the  twentieth  of 
July  in  1917  only  thirteen  inhabitants  had  re~ 
turned  and  they  had  succeeded  in  getting  about 
seventy-five  acres  back  into  use.  Virtually  all 
of  their  trees  had  been  destroyed  except  a  few 
along  the  roadside.  All  their  farm  animals 
had  been  taken  away  and  all  their  farming- 
implements  destroyed. 

The  Germans  swept  over  the  region  again 
in  the  spring  of  1918.     Hard  fighting  took 


DEVASTATION^  21 

place  there  as  they  were  being  driven  out  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  year.  When  we  saw  it 
again  after  the  armistice  not  a  building  was 
left  standing;  even  the  charming  little  brick 
church  was  gone;  fields  were  full  of  trenches 
and  shell-holes  and  masses  of  barbed-wire  en- 
tanglement, and  the  debris  of  battle  was  scat- 
tered everywhere. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1919  I  stood  at  a 
cross-roads  in  the  center  of  Lens,  formerly  a 
bustling  mining-city  of  thirty-two  thousand  in- 
habitants. Not  a  person  was  in  sight ;  the  city 
was  dead;  in  every  direction  I  could  see  the 
horizon,  except  where  it  was  broken  by  an  oc- 
casional twisted  mass  of  rusty  iron,  all  that  was 
left  of  a  factory  or  of  pit-head  machinery;  not 
even  the  party  walls  were  standing.  I  was 
told  that  about  one  hundred  of  its  people  had 
crawled  back  and  were  living  as  best  they  could 
in  cellars  and  improvised  lean-tos. 

One  day  in  the  winter  of  1918-19  I  walked 
across  from  what  had  been  the  busy  manufac- 
turing city  of  Chauny  to  the  fascinating 
medieval  hilltop  town  of  Coucy-le-Chateau.  I 
passed  through  three  or  four  picturesque  stone 
villages  and  the  deep  forest  of  Coucy.     There 


22  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

was  hardly  any  one  in  CTiauny,  for  the  whole 
city  had  been  systematically  and  thoroughly 
blown  up  by  the  Germans  before  they  left.  Of 
the  great  glass-works  of  St.  Gobain  nothing 
whatever  was  left.  All  the  afternoon,  alone, 
I  walked  through  this  beautiful  country.  Ev- 
ery field  was  pitted  with  shell-holes,  or  criss- 
crossed with  trenches ;  every  home  was  a  mold- 
ering  heap  of  stones;  there  was  hardly  a  tree 
that  was  not  more  or  less  shattered;  everywhere 
were  the  litter  and  waste  of  battle.  Not  a  liv- 
ing creature  of  any  sort  did  I  meet ;  there  were 
even  no  birds.  Not  a  motor-car  or  a  wagon 
passed  me  on  the  road;  around  me  was  utter 
desolation.  It  seemed  hopeless  when  one  real- 
ized that  there  were  3,400  of  these  towns  de- 
stroyed to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  that  over 
240,000  buildings  are  destroyed  beyond  any 
hope  of  repair,  and  that  170,000  more  are  badly 
damaged — almost  as  many  buildings  as  there 
are  in  the  whole  of  greater  New  York. 

The  devastated  area  in  France  and  Belgium 
is  almost  as  large  as  the  entire  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts or  New  Jersey.  It  covers  something 
more  than  7,000  square  miles,  of  which  over 
600  square  miles  are  in  Belgium.     That  makes 


DEVASTATION  23 

the  devastated  area  in  France  alone  larger  than 
the  states  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island 
together;  while  the  entire  liberated  area  in 
France  is  nearly  equal  to  the  combined  area  of 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecti- 
cut. 

The  population  of  the  hberated  area  of 
France  was  nearly  5,000,000  before  the  war; 
and  that  of  the  devastated  region  in  Belgium 
about  300,000.  In  France  the  total  popula- 
tion of  the  2,000  devastated  towns  and  villages 
was  nearly  2,500,000  before  the  war;  up  to 
July,  1919,  not  much  over  a  third  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  destroyed  towns  had  been  able  to 
come  back. 

A  few  months  ago  I  came  down  over  the 
Passchendaele  Ridge,  looking  for  the  town  of 
Poelkappelle;  all  of  the  country  around  in  ev- 
ery direction  was  a  billowy  sea  of  shell-holes 
and  trenches,  the  shell-holes  often  so  close 
together  that  one  could  not  walk  between  them. 
I  came  to  a  cross-roads  where  there  was  a  great 
British  tank  half  buried  in  the  mud,  and  to  my 
surprise  I  discovered  that  I  was  in  the  very 
center  of  what  had  been  the  town  of  Poelkap- 
pelle.    Even  the  ruins  of  the  houses  were  so 


24  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

churned  into  the  soil  that  the  land  appeared 
in  no  way  different  from  the  country  round 
about. 

The  only  living  thing  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see  in  that  great  waste  was  a  lone  man  digging. 
He  was  trying  to  find  the  silver  he  had  buried 
in  his  garden,  but  he  said  he  had  no  idea  where 
to  begin  his  search ;  he  did  not  know  where  his 
garden  had  been ;  he  could  not  guess  where  his 
house  had  stood,  nor,  for  that  matter,  where  his 
street  had  run. 

It  was  in  Rheims  that  I  was  standing  before 
a  house  which  had  fallen  into  its  cellar,  when  a 
poilu  came  up  out  of  the  ruins.  I  asked  him 
if  the  home  was  his,  and  he  said  it  was.  He 
was  just  seeing  it  for  the  first  time  since  the 
war;  but  he  smiled  and  said:  "I  am  much 
better  oflF  than  many,  because  at  least  I  have 
a  sub-cellar  left  to  me." 

It  is  interesting  to  see  how  the  destruction  is 
distributed  through  the  liberated  regions  and 
how  it  differs  in  character  from  one  region  to 
another. 

The  worst  havoc  is  not  necessarily  where 
there  was  the  hardest  fighting;  it  is  rather  in 
the  industrial  towns  behind  the  lines,  such  as 


DEVASTATION  25 

Lens,  Chauny,  and  Tergnier,  where  the  invad- 
ers had  the  time  scientifically  to  blow  up  every; 
building,  that  we  find  the  structures  com- 
pletely flattened  down.  The  Mayor  of 
Chauny  told  me  that  a  few  days  before  the 
enemy  was  driven  out  of  the  town,  some  Ger- 
man engineers  came  to  his  house  and  asked  to 
be  taken  down  into  the  cellar.  There  they 
sounded  the  floor,  walls,  and  ceiling,  and  made 
a  number  of  measurements;  then  they  left, 
never  saying  a  word.  Just  before  the  Ger- 
mans left  the  town,  all  the  inhabitants  were 
taken  to  a  few  houses  on  its  western  edge; 
meanwhile  the  German  engineers  placed  a 
carefully  calculated  charge  of  dynamite  in  just 
the  right  spot  in  the  cellar  of  each  house  and 
then  blew  them  all  up.  Hardly  a  party  wall 
stands  to-day.  As  the  Germans  withdrew 
they  proceeded  to  shell  the  houses  in  which  they 
had  left  the  inhabitants.  In  towns  destroyed 
by  shell  fire,  such  as  Rheims,  Verdun,  or  a  vil- 
lage like  Vaux,  which  was  wrecked  by  Ameri- 
can artillery,  even  where  the  firing  was  the 
heaviest,  there  are  usually  parts  of  some  party 
walls  standing. 

Up  to  the  time  the  Germans  were  driven 


26  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

back  in  the  spring  of  1917  there  was  compara- 
tively little  destruction,  except  right  along  the 
firing-line.  Also  there  was  a  fringe  of  destruc- 
tion along  the  line  where  the  Germans  were  held 
and  turned  back  in  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  in 
September,  1914.  This  fringe,  which  was 
rarely  over  five  or  ten  miles  wide,  extended  all 
the  way  from  Meaux  along  through  Sezanne, 
Vitry-le-Fran9ois,  and  Revigny,  and  included 
a  number  of  the  little  farm-villages  which,  as 
we  shall  see  later  on,  have  done  so  much  in  the 
way  of  reconstruction.  This  line  went  on 
through  Verdun  and  St.  Mihiel,  north  of 
Nancy,  and  on  down  to  Vitrimont,  Gerbeviller, 
St.  Die,  etc.,  to  Thann  in  Alsace.  All  of  these 
towns  are  more  or  less  destroyed;  Gerbeviller, 
in  particular,  which  the  Germans  took  the  time 
systematically  to  burn. 

In  a  report  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior, 
issued  June  16, 1916,  we  find  that  in  the  Marne 
there  were  258  communes  damaged,  with  about 
3,500  buildings  completely  destroyed  and 
nearly  12,000  partly  destroyed.  There  were 
still  40  communes  in  the  hands  of  the  Germans. 
In  the  Meuse,  there  were  still  236  communes 
within  the  German  lines;  and  on  the  French 


DEVASTATION  27 

side  of  the  lines  59  communes  were  damaged, 
with  1,800  buildings  entirely  destroyed  and 
about  700  partially.  In  the  Meurthe-et-Mo- 
selle,  there  were  109  communes  damaged,  with 
1,685  buildings  entirely  destroyed  and  3,245 
partially  destroyed,  and  205  communes  still  in 
the  hands  of  the  Germans.  In  the  Vosges, 
we  find  53  communes  damaged,  with  a  total  of 
1,256  buildings  entirely  gone,  and  nearly  2,000 
badly  damaged,  and  26  communes  still  in  the 
hands  of  the  Germans.  In  the  Marne,  already 
over  56  per  cent,  of  its  communes  were  badly 
damaged. 

When  the  Germans  were  driven  back  in  the 
Somme,  the  Aisne,  and  the  Oise,  in  the  spring 
of  1917,  they  started  their  campaign  of  sys- 
tematic destruction.  In  the  first  part  of  their 
retreat,  especially  in  the  Oise  and  the  southern 
part  of  the  Somme,  they  were  moving  so  rap- 
idly that  they  could  do  little  more  than  pillage 
and  burn ;  but  in  the  latter  half  of  their  retreat 
they  had  had  the  time  systematically  to  burn 
and  blow  up  almost  every  town.  Thus  most 
of  the  towns  east  of  Bapaume,  Peronne,  and 
Ham  were  completely  destroyed.  West  of 
this  hne  many  buildings  were  repaired  during 


28  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

1917  with  a  little  tarred  paper  on  the  roof  and 
oiled  paper  in  the  windows,  but  east  of  this 
line  the  only  thing  that  could  be  done  was  to 
put  up  portable  barracks. 

In  a  report  published  by  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior,  on  July  24,  1917,  we  find  that  the 
Allied  advance  in  the  spring  of  1917  freed 
499  communes  from  the  enemy,  thereby  reduc- 
ing the  number  of  communes  remaining  in  the 
hands  of  the  Germans,  from  2,554  to  2,055. 
This  report  covers  an  investigation  made  in 
1,223  communes  in  eleven  departments,  and 
does  not  include  450  communes  that  were  still 
under  fire  and  could  not  be  investigated.  The 
report  of  June  16,  1916,  covered  754  com- 
munes; the  1917  report  shows  102,697  build- 
ings damaged  as  compared  with  a  total  of 
46,263  in  the  1916  report.  In  1917  fully  half 
of  the  buildings  were  completely  destroyed. 
We  find,  too,  that  over  527  communes  had 
more  than  half  of  their  buildings  completely 
destroyed.  In  400  communes,  over  80  per 
cent,  of  the  buildings  had  been  damaged. 
There  were  435  town  halls  destroyed,  600 
schools,  472  churches,  and  377  other  public 
buildings.     The  report  included  414  factories 


DEVASTATION  29 

of  various  sorts  which  had  employed  at  least 
105,000  persons. 

Then  came  the  big  German  advances  of 
March  and  May,  1918,  with  a  new  fringe  of 
towns  destroyed  along  the  battle  line,  running 
through  Albert,  Montdidier,  Noyon,  Chateau- 
Thierry,  and  Dormans. 

At  the  same  time  the  enemy  caused  great  de- 
struction behind  the  Allied  lines  by  long-range 
shell  fire  and  by  aeroplane  bombing  at  Dun- 
kerque,  Hazebrouck,  Bethune,  Arras,  Amiens, 
Compiegne,  Epernay,  Rheims,  Verdun,  Toul, 
Nancy,  and  Belfort.  It  was  at  this  time,  too, 
that  Paris  was  shelled  by  the  long-range  guns. 
To  be  sure,  there  had  been  some  long-range 
shelling  previously,  especially  in  Belfort, 
Nancy,  Bar-le-Duc,  and  Dunkerque. 

There  are  hundreds  of  other  towns  and  vil- 
lages well  behind  the  Allied  lines  that  have 
received  the  visits  of  German  bombing-planes, 
but  despite  the  considerable  damage  that  was 
done,  fortunately  hardly  one  of  the  famous 
buildings  of  France  was  seriously  damaged. 

The  greatest  destruction  of  all  occurred  as 
the  Germans  were  driven  back  in  the  summer  of 
1918.     They  evidently  felt  that  all  was  lost  and 


30  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

that  the  time  had  come  to  harm  France  eco- 
nomically as  much  as  they  could.  It  was  then 
that  they  carried  out  feverishly  their  long-pre- 
pared plans  of  systematic  pillage  and  destruc- 
tion: every  piece  of  furniture  and  clothing, 
every  trinket  and  work  of  art,  all  copper  and 
brass,  every  machine  or  every  part  of  a  ma- 
chine, all  cattle  and  farming-implements,  any- 
thing that  could  be  of  any  use  in  Germany, 
they  carried  off.  Everything  that  was  not  car- 
ried off,  if  it  could  be  of  economic  use  to 
France,  they  destroyed.  It  was  then  that 
they  burned  and  blew  up  the  factories  and 
flooded  the  mines.  It  was  then  that  they  sci- 
entifically destroyed  the  industrial  towns. 

Between  July,  1918,  and  the  armistice  on 
November  11,  1918,  the  Allies  won  back  from 
Germany  nearly  8,050  square  miles  of  land  in 
France,  an  area  almost  as  large  as  that  of  Del- 
aware, Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island  com- 
bined ;  this  is  about  4  per  cent,  of  the  total  area 
of  France,  including  as  it  does  about  2,000 
communes  with  a  pre-war  population  of  nearly 
3,000,000. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  this  with  the 
German  advance  in  March  and  May,  1918, 


DEVASTATION  31 

which  covered  a  strip  about  140  miles  long  by 
a  maximum  width  of  about  40  miles,  and  con- 
tained somewhat  over  2,300  square  miles  and 
about  700  communes. 

The  Allied  advance  in  March,  1917,  covered 
a  front  of  about  150  miles  with  a  maximum 
depth  of  about  25  miles,  and  included  an  area 
of  about  1,550  square  miles  with  500  com- 
munes. This  area  had  a  total  population  of 
about  325,000. 

The  total  area  in  France  invaded  by  the 
Germans  in  August  and  September,  1914,  was 
over  15,000  square  miles;  or  something  over 
7  per  cent,  of  the  country's  entire  area.  It  in- 
cluded over  3,400  communes,  with  a  total  pop- 
ulation of  nearly  5,000,000.  This  area  is 
larger  than  that  of  Maryland  and  Delaware, 
together,  or  that  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode 
Island,  and  Connecticut  combined. 

The  actual  devastated  area  of  France  covers 
approximately  6,300  square  miles  or  nearly  3 
per  cent,  of  the  country's  area. 

In  December,  1918,  M.  Louis  Dubois  re- 
ported to  the  French  Chamber  of  Deputies 
that  the  total  war  damage  in  France,  not 
including     commercial     exploitation     losses, 


32  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

amounted  to  sixty-four  and  a  half  billion 
francs,  of  which  ten  billion  francs  was  the  agri- 
cultural damage,  twenty  bilhon  for  buildings, 
five  billion  for  furniture,  twenty  billion  for  in- 
dustry and  mining,  and  nine  and  a  half  bil- 
lion for  transportation. 

In  February,  1919,  he  made  a  much  more 
detailed  report  to  the  Chamber,  putting  the 
total  damage  in  France  at  119,801,000,000 
francs,  of  which  35,446,000,000  francs  were  for 
buildings,  public  works,  and  other  fixed  struc- 
tures ;  32,352,000,000  francs  for  furniture,  ma- 
chinery, tools,  implements,  etc.;  28,751,000,000 
francs  for  raw  materials,  manufactured  mate- 
rials, and  supplies;  and  23,242,000,000  francs 
for  revenue  or  exploitation  losses. 

Most  of  the  following  figures  are  taken  from 
this  later  report  of  Monsieur  Dubois  and  are 
checked  up  by  recent  official  investigations  of 
the  Ministry  of  Industrial  Reconstitution  and 
the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions. 

Of  the  buildings  wrecked  240,000  are  en- 
tirely destroyed;  170,000  are  more  or  less  re- 
parable. To-day  it  will  cost  to  replace  the 
former  13,600,000,000  francs;  to  repair  the  lat- 
ter will  cost  at  least  5,000,000,000  francs.     To 


DEVASTATION  33 

repair  the  public  buildings  and  historical  mon- 
uments will  cost  3,900,000,000  francs  more,  or 
a  total  of  22,500,000,000  francs;  that  is  over 
$4,000,000,000  only  for  repairing  or  recon- 
structing destroyed  buildings.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  loss  of  rent  on  these  buildings  alone 
amounts  to  over  800,000,000  francs  a  year. 

On  December  26,  1918,  Monsieur  Villemin, 
the  President  of  the  National  Federation  of 
Builders,  reported  to  the  Office  du  Batiment  et 
des  Travaux  Publics  that  clearing  up  the  ruins 
of  the  buildings  would  alone  amount  to  2,209,- 
000,000  francs.  At  increased  present-day 
costs  this  will  amount  to  at  least  2,500,000,000 
francs,  which  added  to  the  cost  of  reconstruct- 
ing buildings  makes  the  total  cost  of  replacing 
them  at  least  25,000,000,000  francs;  or  over 
$4,500,000,000.  He  also  reckoned  that  to  re- 
construct all  of  these  buildings  in  five  years 
would  take  about  312,000  men  per  year,  with- 
out including  those  engaged  in  clearing  up  the 
ruins  or  putting  the  soil  into  shape  for  use,  or 
any  of  those  employed  on  public  works. 

As  has  been  said,  the  Germans  everywhere 
carried  off  any  furniture,  furnishings,  or 
household  utensils  that  they  thought  they  could 


U  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

use,  and  they  broke  or  burned  the  rest.  The 
insurance  companies  estimate  the  damage  at 
about  ten  billion  francs. 

In  regard  to  agriculture  the  ten  depart- 
ments invaded  by  Germany  were  among  the 
very  richest  in  France.  About  three  quarters 
of  the  land  was  tillable  and  most  of  the  rest 
was  good  for  hay  or  pasturage.  According  to 
a  report  made  in  May,  1918,  by  the  Office  de 
Reconstitution  Agricole  to  the  Minister  of 
Liberated  Regions,  these  ten  departments  pro- 
duced in  1913  over  4,000,000,000  francs'  worth 
of  crops.  The  average  yield  in  this  region  was 
about  32  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  drop- 
ping down  to  22  and  17  bushels  to  the  acre  in 
the  eastern  parts  of  the  zone.  These  depart- 
ments contained  about  15  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
tillable  area  of  France,  and  the  crops  amounted 
to  about  20  per  cent,  of  the  total.  The  farm- 
ing population  in  this  region  was  about  807,- 
000,  which  was  about  10  per  cent,  of  the  effec- 
tive farming  population  of  France. 

The  invaded  region  furnished  one  fourth  of 
the  sugar-beets  of  France,  one  tenth  of  the 
oats,  one  tenth  of  the  wheat,  one  tenth  of  the 


DEVASTATION  35 

fodder-beets,  two  thirds  of  the  hops,  and  over 
one-fourth  of  the  flax. 

In  this  region  there  are  about  250,000 
farms;  of  these  110,000  contained  less  than 
214  acres  apiece;  100,000  contained  between 
2%  and  25  acres;  about  26,000  between  25 
and  100  acres;  and  there  were  about  5,500 
farms  with  over  100  acres.  Contrary  to  the 
usual  custom  in  France  many  of  these  farms 
belong  to  people  working  in  factories,  which 
fact  accounts  for  the  large  proportion  of  small 
farms.  With  values  as  they  were  in  1913  the 
capital  invested  in  these  farms  was  about 
2,000,000,000  francs,  or  about  8,000  francs  per 
farm..  It  can  be  safely  said  that  the  value  of 
these  farms  has  increased  2%  times  since  1913, 
which  would  make  them  worth  to-day  over 
2,500,000,000  francs. 

In  the  invaded  departments  there  were  about 
5,000,000  acres  of  tillable  land,  a  little  over 
1,000,000  acres  of  pasturage,  50,000  acres  of 
market-gardens,  28,000  acres  of  vineyards, 
125,000  acres  of  parks  and  gardens,  200,000 
acres  of  other  types  of  land,  and  1,500,000 
acres  of  wood  and  forest  land,  or  approxi- 


36  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

mately  6,500,000  acres  of  cultivable  land,  and 
1,500,000  acres  of  forest  land.  That  is  to  say, 
the  cultivable  land  alone  is  equal  in  area  to  the 
states  of  New  Jersey  and  Delaware  put  to- 
gether, while  the  forest  land  alone  is  about 
equal  in  extent  to  the  entire  state  of  Delaware. 

Over  250,000  acres  of  arable  land  have  been 
so  churned  up  that  they  will  have  to  be  aban- 
doned or  reforested.  Before  the  war  these 
were  worth  240,000,000  francs ;  to-day  they  are 
worth  at  least  360,000,000  francs. 

Two  million  acres  more  have  depreciated  at 
least  one  half  in  value,  because  they  are  so  cut 
up  with  trenches  and  shell-holes.  This  means 
a  loss  of  1,336,000,000  francs.  Furthermore, 
to  make  this  land  fit  for  cultivation  will  cost 
160  francs  an  acre,  or  about  324,000,000 
francs. 

The  rest  of  the  land  in  the  war  zone — some- 
thing over  4,000,000  acres  of  tillable  land — 
represents  a  cost  of  280  francs  per  acre  to  bring 
the  land  back  under  cultivation,  or  1,214,000,- 
000  francs  in  all.  Thus,  the  total  loss  on  rural 
property,  exclusive  of  buildings,  is  3,234,000,- 
000  francs. 

In  the  devastated  regions  about  one  half  of 


DEVASTATION  37 

the  farm-buildings  have  been  entirely  de- 
stroyed; one  quarter  more  are  partially  de- 
stroyed. To-day  it  would  cost  to  replace  these 
buildings  3,726,000,000  francs,  of  which  1,800,- 
000,000  francs  were  included  in  the  appraisal 
made  above  for  buildings  in  general. 

About  80  per  cent,  of  the  farm  implements 
were  lost.  Before  the  war  it  would  have  cost 
about  200  francs  per  acre  to  replace  these  im- 
plements; to-day  it  will  cost  about  600  francs 
per  acre  to  replace  them;  or  in  all  3,186,000,- 
000  francs. 

In  December,  1918,  the  Office  of  Agricul- 
tural Reconstitution  showed  that  to  replace  the 
losses  in  the  devastated  regions  they  would 
need  51,000  side-hill  plows,  33,000  other  plows, 
56,000  cultivators,  30,000  mowing-machines, 
115,000  farm  wagons,  88,000  harrows,  50,000 
rollers,  48,000  hoes,  36,000  seed-drills,  13,000 
fertilizers,  16,000  beet-extractors,  21,000  win- 
nowing-machines,  18,000  horse-rakes,  32,000 
reapers  and  binders,  53,000  root-cutters,  etc. 

With  regard  to  animals,  in  comparing  the 
statistics  of  1913  and  1915,  we  find  that 
whereas  in  1913  there  were  607,000  horses  in 
the  invaded  departments,  in  1915  there  wer^ 


38  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

only  242,000.  On  July  16,  1919,  the  Minister 
of  Liberated  Regions  reported  that  in  his  ter- 
ritory 358,000  horses  had  been  lost,  2,600 
mules,  9,000  asses,  841,000  head  of  cattle,  944,- 
000  sheep,  and  424,000  pigs.  It  is  asserted  that 
in  all  90  per  cent,  of  the  farm  animals  are  lost. 
The  total  loss  is  over  2,090,000,000  francs. 

The  crops  lost  would  be  worth  to-day  880 
francs  per  acre,  instead  of  about  400  francs  per 
acre  as  before  the  war;  this  means  a  loss  of 
5,839,000,000  francs.  It  is  reckoned  that  at 
least  1,300,000  acres  of  wheat  have  been  lost, 
and  over  850,000  acres  of  hay. 

Furthermore,  on  the  land  there  has  been  a 
loss  of  revenue  of  30  francs  per  acre  over  seven 
years,  and  on  exploitation  capital  a  loss  of  34 
francs  per  acre,  which  means  a  total  for  the 
two  of  2,972,000,000  francs. 

The  9,000  acres  of  hunting-land  in  the  re- 
gion have  sustained  a  direct  loss  of  20,000,000 
francs,  and  a  revenue  loss  of  17,000,000  francs. 

Fishing  and  fish-preserving  cover  28,000 
acres  of  water-courses  and  40,000  acres  of 
ponds  and  lakes.  The  direct  loss  is  68,000,000 
francs  and  the  revenue  loss  is  15,000,000 
francs. 


DEVASTATION  39 

The  water-courses  and  canals,  through  lack 
of  care  and  up-keep,  have  undergone  direct 
and  indirect  losses  of  66,000,000  francs. 

Of  the  woods  and  forests  which  covered 
about  1,500,000  acres  and  were  worth  before 
the  war  800,000,000  francs,  about  three  quar- 
ters have  been  destroyed.  It  will  cost  at  pres- 
ent prices  about  200,000,000  francs  to  reforest. 
In  addition,  the  leveling  off  of  500,000  acres  of 
woodland  that  has  been  badly  churned  up,  and 
its  reforestation,  will  cost  100,000,000  francs. 
Patching  up  the  forest  roads  will  cost  50,000,- 
000  francs.  The  timber  that  was  already  cut 
and  which  has  been  lost,  was  worth  another 
50,000,000  francs.  The  income  loss  on  these 
500,000  acres  is  about  60,000,000  francs,  and 
during  the  next  fifty  years  there  will  be  an  ad- 
ditional loss  of  fully  200,000,000  francs.  This 
makes  the  total  loss  in  forests  and  lumber  equal 
to  1,400,000,000  francs. 

Before  the  war  France  used  59,407,000  tons* 
of  coal  a  year,  and  9,166,000  tons  more  of  coke 
equivalent.  France  herself  produced  40,844,- 
000  tons  of  coal  and  5,357,000  tons  of  coke 

*  Wherever  "tons"  are  spoken  of  in  this  text,  the  metric  ton 
is  meant.  It  equals  2,204.6  pounds;  .984  long  tons,  or  1.X02 
short  tons. 


40  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

equivalent.  Of  this  amount  27,389,000  tons 
came  from  the  Valenciennes  basin.  In  all,  the 
invaded  regions  furnished  over  70  per  cent,  of 
the  coal  mined  in  France.  It  was  the  best 
quality  at  that.  About  140,000  men  were  em- 
ployed in  the  mines  in  the  invaded  regions,  out 
of  203,208  for  all  of  France.  To-day  if  you 
go  to  the  coal  town  of  Lens,  you  will  find  every 
pit  and  gallery  filled  with  water,  sometimes  to 
a  depth  of  seven  hundred  feet.  Every  piece 
of  coal-handling  machinery  has  been  dyna- 
mited. 

It  will  take  330,000  working-days  at  a  cost 
of  495,000,000  francs  to  put  the  mines  back 
into  condition  for  use;  the  materials  used  in 
this  will  cost  about  500,000,000  francs.  The 
coal-mining  buildings  which  were  about  80  per 
cent,  destroyed,  will  cost  440,000,000  francs  to 
replace.  The  coal-handling  machinery,  also 
about  80  per  cent,  destroyed,  will  cost  1,404,- 
000,000  francs  to  replace  to-day.  The  Ger- 
mans also  stole  about  400,000,000  francs'  worth 
of  coal  in  stock.  The  exploitation  loss  over 
ten  years  amounts  to  1,016,000,000  francs. 
Thus,  for  coal  alone,  the  total  loss  amounts  to 
4,260,000,000  francs. 


DEVASTATION  41 

In  1913  France  produced  21,918,000  tons  of 
iron  ore,  of  which  the  Briey  and  Longwy 
basins,  in  the  Meurthe-et-Moselle,  furnished 
19,629,000  tons,  or  90  per  cent,  of  the  total. 
Almost  all  of  this  area  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Germans.  About  150,000  people  were 
dependent  on  the  mines  for  their  livelihood. 
By  comparison,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  United  States  furnished  at  the  same  time 
63,000,000  tons  of  iron  ore,  and  Germany  35,- 
941,000  tons.  Before  the  war  55  per  cent,  of 
the  steel  manufactured  in  France  came  from 
the  invaded  regions;  that  is,  about  3,000,000 
tons.  The  same  percentage  applies  to  cast- 
iron. 

The  mines  are  not  totally  wrecked,  although 
two  are  filled  with  water  and  the  machinery  of 
others  has  been  destroyed.  One  third  of  the 
ovens  can  be  put  back  into  use  very  quickly  by 
the  replacing  of  pipes,  valves,  etc.,  stolen  by 
the  Germans ;  a  second  one  third  have  had  their 
blowers  stolen;  the  other  one  third  are  utterly 
ruined. 

All  of  the  steel-mills  and  rolling-mills,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  are  entirely  destroyed. 
It  will  cost  4,671,000,000  francs  to  replace 


42  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

their  machinery,  and  162,000,000  francs  to  re- 
place the  mining-machinery.  Putting  the 
mines  themselves  back  into  condition  for  use 
will  cost  144,000,000  francs;  and  replacing  the 
mining-buildings  and  steel-mills  will  cost 
1,281,000,000  francs.  The  ore  stolen  was 
worth  36,000,000  francs,  while  to  replace  the 
material  in  the  mills  will  cost  1,800,000,000 
francs.  The  exploitation  loss  over  six  years 
amounts  to  285,000,000  francs  for  the  mines 
and  2,752,000,000  francs  for  the  mills.  Thus, 
we  can  say  that  the  iron-mining  industry  has 
suffered  a  total  loss  of  627,000,000  francs  and 
the  steel-  and  iron-mills  have  lost,  in  all,  10,- 
504,000,000  francs. 

The  foundries  and  smaller  iron-working 
shops  are  also  80  per  cent,  destroyed  and  rep- 
resent a  loss  of  about  736,000,000  francs.  The 
raw  and  fabricated  material  represents  a  loss 
of  another  300,000,000  francs.  The  building 
loss  is  230,000,000  francs.  The  exploitation 
loss  over  six  years  is  540,000,000  francs.  This 
means  a  total  of  1,806,000,000  francs. 

The  mechanical  and  electrical  industry  was 
about  90  per  cent,  destroyed.  To  replace  the 
machinery  will  cost  1,269,000,000  francs;  the 


DEVASTATION  43 

raw  and  manufactured  material  represents  a 
loss  of  1,350,000,000  francs;  the  building  loss 
is  420,000,000  francs ;  the  exploitation  loss  over 
six  years  is  855,000,000  francs:  a  total  of 
3,894,000,000  francs. 

Eighty  per  cent,  of  the  electric  power-plants 
were  destroyed,  which  represents  a  machinery 
loss  of  360,000,000  francs,  with  63,000,000 
francs  for  the  buildings  and  143,000,000 
francs'  exploitation  loss :  a  total  of  566,000,000 
francs. 

The  chemical  industry  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions also  was  about  80  per  cent,  destroyed, 
which  represents  a  loss  of  1,423,000,000  francs 
for  the  machinery;  1,600,000,000  francs  for 
materials;  267,000,000  francs  for  the  build- 
ings ;  and  882,000,000  francs'  exploitation  loss : 
a  total  of  4,172,000,000  francs  for  the  chemical 
industry. 

The  glass  industry  represents  a  machinery 
loss  of  135,000,000  francs;  a  material  loss  of 
125,000,000  francs;  a  building  loss  of  65,000,- 
000  francs ;  and  an  exploitation  loss  of  82,000,- 
000  francs:  a  total  of  407,000,000  francs. 

The  mines  and  quarries  produced  in  1914, 
4,000,000  tons  of  material.     Their  machinery 


44  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

loss  represents  36,000,000  francs;  their  mate- 
rials, 15,000,000;  buildings,  9,000,000;  and  ex- 
ploitation loss  19,000,000:  a  total  of  79,000,000 
francs. 

For  comparison  it  is  interesting  to  turn  back 
to  a  report  made  by  the  Minister  of  the  In- 
terior on  October  25,  1916,  on  building-mate- 
rials destroyed  that  would  have  to  be  replaced. 
The  report  was  made  for  41,223  buildings  at 
that  time  totally  or  partially  destroyed.  To- 
day the  total  building-damage  shows  almost 
exactly  ten  times  as  many  buildings  destroyed, 
and  therefore  we  are  multiplying  each  of  the 
figures  given  in  this  report  by  ten,  with  the 
following  results:  Nearly  40,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  masonry  have  been  destroyed;  17,- 
000,000  cubic  yards  of  stone;  55,000,000 
bricks;  3,000,000  tons  of  lime;  2,000,000,000 
feet  of  lumber;  330,000  tons  of  steel;  910,000,- 
000  roofing-tiles;  and  320,000,000  roofing- 
slates. 

The  invaded  regions  were  the  center  of  the 
textile  industry  of  France.  In  fact,  their  an- 
nual exploitation  of  635,000,000  francs'  worth 
of  raw  material  and  1,314,000,000  francs' 
worth  of  manufactured  products,  was  nearly  a 


DEVASTATION  45 

third  of  the  total  exploitation  of  all  sorts  in 
France,  which  amounted  in  all  to  6,324,000,000 
francs. 

Almost  all  of  the  wool-combing  in  France 
(that  is,  the  work  of  2,000  machines)  was  in 
the  devastated  regions.  Out  of  2,365,000 
wool-spindles,  over  2,000,000  were  in  the  in- 
vaded districts.  Almost  all  of  the  55,000 
linen-looms  and  of  the  550,000  linen-spindles 
were  destroyed  or  carried  away.  Of  the  712,- 
600  carded-wool  spindles  in  France,  only  half 
are  left.  Of  the  7,525,000  cotton-spindles, 
over  4,000,000  are  gone.  The  15,000  cotton- 
looms,  16,700  linen-looms,  and  12,000  other 
looms  in  the  devastated  regions  are  all  gone, 
the  Germans  having  destroyed  what  they  did 
not  take  away.  Armentieres,  with  its  40  spin- 
ning- and  weaving-mills,  has  almost  nothing 
capable  of  functioning  to-day. 

The  combing-machinery  represents  a  loss  of 
292,000,000  francs;  the  buildings,  30,000,000; 
the  raw  and  finished  products  2,460,000,000; 
the  exploitation  loss  468,000,000:  a  total  of 
3,250,000,000  francs. 

To  replace  the  combed-wool  spinning- 
machinery  will  cost  247,000,000  francs;  the 


46  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

carded-wool  spinning-machinery  will  cost  84,- 
000,000  francs;  the  cotton  spinning-machin- 
ery will  cost  525,000,000  francs ;  the  linen  and 
jute  spinning-machinery  will  cost  396,000,000 
francs.  That  is,  there  was  a  total  of  1,252,- 
000,000  francs  lost  on  spinning-machinery. 

The  loss  of  raw  materials  and  finished  prod- 
ucts in  wool,  cotton,  and  linen,  amounts,  at  to- 
day's prices,  to  7,394,000,000  francs.  The  ex- 
ploitation loss  over  six  years  for  the  three  in- 
dustries amounts  to  1,745,000,000  francs;  while 
the  buildings,  which  are  not  totally  wrecked, 
represent  a  loss  of  only  146,000,000  francs. 
The  largest  single  item  in  this  list  is  the  loss  of 
raw  and  manufactured  cotton,  which  amounts 
to  4,800,000,000  francs.  Thus,  the  total  loss 
to  the  textile-spinning  industry  is  13,787,000,- 
000  francs. 

The  various  weaving-looms  are  from  60  to 
90  per  cent,  destroyed.  The  wool-looms  it 
will  cost  225,000,000  francs  to  replace;  the 
cotton-looms,  76,000,000  francs;  the  linen- 
looms,  108,000,000;  and  the  lace-looms  130,- 
000,000  francs;  or  a  total  of  539,000,000 
francs. 


DEVASTATION  47 

In  the  wool  industry  there  was  a  loss  on  raw 
and  manufactured  products  of  2,925,000,000 
francs.  Adding  in  similar  losses  in  the  other 
weaving  industries,  we  have  a  total  loss  of 
weaving  raw  and  manufactured  products  of 
4,591,000,000  francs.  The  building  losses  in 
these  districts  amount  to  only  88,000,000 
francs ;  while  the  exploitation  losses  amount  to 
723,000,000  francs.  Thus,  the  total  loss  to 
the  weaving  industry  is  5,941,000,000  francs. 

In  the  bleaching,  dyeing,  and  ironing  plants, 
which  were  about  80  per  cent,  destroyed,  there 
was  a  loss  of  189,000,000  francs  on  machinery; 
140,000,000  on  materials;  49,000,000  of  build- 
ings; and  an  exploitation  loss  of  198,000,000; 
or  a  total  of  576,000,000  francs. 

This  makes  a  total  loss  for  the  textile  indus- 
try in  buildings,  machinery,  raw  and  manufac- 
tured material,  and  exploitation,  of  20,304,- 
000,000  francs.  It  is  only  when  we  go 
through,  one  after  another,  the  factory  dis- 
tricts of  the  big  industrial  towns  of  the  North, 
and  see  every  factory,  almost  without  excep- 
tion, cleared  bare,  gutted,  or  blown  up,  and 
thousands  of  the  employees'  homes  destroyed 


48  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

as  well,  that  we  can  begin  to  appreciate  the 
horrible  calamity  that  has  come  over  northern 
France. 

Before  the  war,  there  were  206  sugar-mills 
in  France,  which  produced,  in  1913,  864,815 
tons  of  sugar.  The  German  invasion  left  only 
61  of  these  in  operation  in  all  of  France. 
These  61  gradually  increased  their  production 
from  133,000  tons  in  1915  to  197,000  tons  fti 
1918.  The  rest  of  the  mills  were  90  per  cent, 
destroyed.  The  replacing  of  their  machinery 
will  cost  364,000,000  francs ;  the  materials  90,- 
000,000;  the  buildings  261,000,000;  and  the 
exploitation  loss  over  eight  years  will  be  290,- 
000,000:  a  total  of  1,015,000,000  francs  for  the 
sugar  industry. 

The  distilleries  and  other  agricultural  indus- 
tries represent  a  loss  of  362,000,000  francs  in 
machinery;  87,000,000  francs  in  materials;  81,- 
000,000  francs  in  buildings;  and  231,000,000 
francs  in  exploitation;  or  761,000,000  francs  in 
all.  There  were  1,700  breweries  in  the  in- 
vaded regions  which  were  about  80  per  cent, 
destroyed.  These  breweries  produced  317,- 
000,000  gallons  of  beer  before  the  war.  To 
replace  their  machinery  will  cost  329,000,000 


DEVASTATION  49 

francs ;  their  materials  75,000,000 ;  their  build- 
ings 57,000,000;  and  their  exploitation  loss  will 
be  155,000,000:  a  total  loss  to  the  brewing  in- 
dustry of  616,000,000  francs. 

The  oil  industry,  which  in  the  devastated  re- 
gion produced  90,000  tons  before  the  war,  to- 
day represents  a  machinery,  material,  building, 
and  exploitation  loss  of  172,000,000  francs. 

The  tanning  and  leather  industry,  which  was 
active  in  the  region,  represents  a  loss  of  152,- 
000,000  francs. 

The  flour-  and  other  grain-mills  represent  a 
loss  of  312,000,000  francs. 

The  paper-mills  and  printing-plants  repre- 
sent a  loss  of  700,000,000  francs. 

The  other  secondary  industries,  such  as  car- 
pentry, cabinet-shops,  hardware  plants,  etc., 
mean  a  loss  of  many  hundred  million  francs. 
To  replace  these  minor  industries  will  cost  at 
least  4,000,000,000  francs. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  mines  and 
manufacturing  industries  of  northern  France 
mean  a  loss  at  present-day  prices,  including 
raw  and  manufactured  materials,  machinery, 
buildings,  and  exploitation  losses,  of  over  62,- 
000,000,000  francs. 


so  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

The  railroads  have  suffered  a  great  deal  in 
the  devastated  regions,  as  the  Germans  took 
away  everything  that  they  could  use  and  made 
a  point  of  destroying  the  rest,  particularly  the 
bridges  and  tunnels.  Furthermore,  48,500 
cars  and  about  2,000  locomotives  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war.  Three  thousand,  five  hundred  miles  of 
track  have  been  destroyed;  2,060  miles  of  these 
belonged  to  the  Nord  Railway  Company,  and 
1,440  miles  belonged  to  the  Est  Railway;  also, 
225  miles  of  narrow-gage  and  tramway  tracks 
were  destroyed.  Besides,  1,510  bridges  and 
viaducts  have  been  destroyed;  also  12  tun- 
nels, 590  railway  buildings,  150  water-tanks, 
2,000  miles  of  telephone  and  telegraph  lines 
and  20,000  tons  of  metal  appliances. 

To  put  the  road-beds  and  tracks  back  into 
shape  for  use,  including  the  cost  of  materials 
and  appliances,  will  mean  the  expenditure  of 
2,426,000,000  francs  for  the  railways,  and  416,- 
000,000  francs  for  the  narrow-gage  roads  and 
tramways.  The  extra  cost  of  up-keep  until 
the  roads  are  back  on  a  normal  basis  amounts 
to  730,000,000  francs  and  52,000,000  francs 
respectively;  the  exploitation  losses  amount  to 


DEVASTATION  51 

1,766,000,000  francs  and  284,000,000  francs 
respectively ;  the  bill  to  the  army  for  its  requisi- 
tion for  the  railways  amounts  to  1,314,000,000 
francs.  This  makes  a  total  loss  for  the  rail- 
ways of  6,266,000,000  francs,  and  for  the  nar- 
row-gage and  tramway  lines  of  852,000,000 
francs;  or  7,118,000,000  francs  in  all. 

Six  hundred  and  seventy  miles  of  canals  and 
canalized  rivers  have  been  damaged,  including 
450  bridges  destroyed,  of  which  300  were  iron 
bridges,  115  locks,  and  over  200  buildings,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  number  of  syphons,  gates, 
canal-boats,  etc.  It  will  cost  216,000,000 
francs  to  repair  the  damage.  There  is  a  loss 
of  60,000,000  francs  on  delayed  constructions, 
a  9,000,000  francs'  exploitation  loss,  and  a  bill 
of  110,000,000  francs  to  the  army  for  its  requi- 
sitions; or  a  total  of  485,000,000  francs,  for 
canals  and  waterways. 

The  seaports  have  suffered  damage  which  it 
will  cost  78,000,000  million  francs  to  repair, 
and  their  exploitation  loss  amounts  to  4,000,000 
francs. 

Sixty-five  thousand  six  hundred  miles  of 
roads  and  highways  have  been  damaged,  and 
2,050  bridges,  viaducts,  and  tunnels  will  have 


52  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

to  be  replaced.  To  put  these  roads  back  into 
shape  will  cost  323,000,000  francs,  and  the  de- 
layed work  of  up-keep  will  cost  another  665,- 
000,000  francs.  Meanwhile  the  extra  cost  of 
up-keep  due  to  military  wear  and  tear  repre- 
sents 240,000,000  francs.  This  means  a  total 
of  1,218,000,000  francs  for  the  roads  and  high- 
ways. 

Almost  all  of  the  equipment  of  the  postal, 
telegraph,  and  telephone  systems  in  the  in- 
vaded regions  is  gone.  It  will  cost  295,000,- 
000  francs  to  replace  it.  Thus  there  is  a  total 
loss  on  public  works  in  general  of  9,198,000,000 
francs. 

In  general  the  damage  to  buildings  and 
other  permanent  structures,  including  mines 
and  forests,  amounts  to  35,446,000,000  francs. 
Of  this  19,000,000,000  francs  can  be  considered 
for  public  and  private  buildings;  1,900,000,000 
francs  for  agricultural  buildings;  3,234,000,- 
000  francs  for  cultivated  soil;  1,400,000,000 
francs  for  the  forests;  1,434,000,000  for  the 
coal-mines;  1,425,000,000  for  the  iron-mines; 
and  1,000,000,000  for  other  industries;  3,156,- 
000,000  for  the  railways;  1,218,000,000  for 
other  public  works.     Household   furnishings 


Official  Photo. 


GERMAN   DEFENSES 


/   ■  ri;,  II    (  >iji(-ial    tUloto. 

TREES    WANTONLY    CUT    DOWN    BY    THE    BOCHES    AT    BOUZA 
AZETTE 


NIEUPORT 

To    which    only    ten    of    its    inhabitants    had    returned    by 
April,   1919. 


French   Official  Photo. 

A   DESTROYED    DEPARTMENT    STORE   AT    NANCY 


DEVASTATION  53 

represent  10,000,000,000;  agricultural  imple- 
ments 3,186,000,000;  farm  animals  2,090,000,- 
000;  coal-mining  machinery  1,404,000,000; 
iron-mining  and  iron-working  machinery  4,- 
836,000,000  francs;  and  that  of  other  indus- 
tries over  6,000,000,000  francs.  The  losses  in 
materials  amount  to  over  16,000,000,000  francs 
for  textiles  and  5,839,000,000  francs  for  agri- 
cultural products.  The  total  loss  in  materials 
amounts  to  28,761,000,000  francs.  The  ex- 
ploitation losses  amount  to  23,242,000,000 
francs.  Thus  the  total  bill  which  France  pre- 
sents for  her  war  damages  is  119,801,000,000 
francs. 

There  is  a  phase  of  the  appalling  damage 
that  no  amount  of  money  will  ever  make  good, 
and  that  is  the  sentimental  and  artistic  value  of 
the  historical  monuments  of  France.  Under 
the  French  Ministry  of  Fine  Arts  almost  all 
of  the  buildings  or  works  of  art  in  France  that 
had  any  historical  or  esthetic  value,  have  been 
classed  as  monuments  liistoriques  by  the  State, 
and  the  State  has  seen  to  it  that  they  have  been 
kept  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  Two 
hundred  and  forty  of  these  historical  monu- 
ments have  been  seriously  damaged  by  the  war; 


54  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

27  of  them  have  been  completely  destroyed;  50 
have  been  damaged  in  the  department  of  the 
Aisne  alone,  among  them  the  cathedral  at  Sois- 
sons  and  the  Hotel-de-Ville  at  St.  Quentin;  6 
of  these  have  been  entirely  destroyed,  in  partic- 
ular the  marvelous  donjon  of  Coucy-le- 
Chateau,  probably  the  best  example  of  medie- 
val civil  architecture  in  France. 

In  the  Marne  49  historical  monuments  have 
suffered  injury  and  58  other  buildings  noted 
for  their  artistic  charm  have  been  damaged;  12 
of  these  buildings  have  been  entirely  destroyed, 
among  them  the  medieval  wooden  houses  in 
Rheims.  The  greatest  and  the  most  irrepar- 
able damage  is  of  course  that  done  the  cathe- 
dral of  Rheims,  and  with  it  the  older  church  of 
St.  Remy.  The  charming  Louis-Thirteenth 
town  hall  at  Rheims  is  completely  destroyed. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  it  would  cost  over 
400,000,000  francs  to  restore  the  buildings  in 
these  two  departments. 

In  the  Meurthe-et -Moselle  23  are  damaged, 
but  none  totally  destroyed.  Most  of  the  dam- 
age is  in  and  around  Nancy,  although  the  fa- 
mous Place  Stanislas  and  Place  Carriere  are 
almost  intact.     It  is  estimated  that  it  would 


DEVASTATION  55 

cost  over  25,000,000  francs  to  repair  the  dam- 
age. 

In  the  Meuse  there  are  20  buildings  dam- 
aged, but  none  entirely  destroyed.  The  chief 
damage  is  in  Verdun,  St.  Mihiel,  and  Cler- 
mont-en-Argonne. 

In  the  Nord  the  damage  is  not  so  serious,  the 
chief  injury  being  that  done  to  the  cathedral 
at  Cambrai. 

In  the  Pas-ve-Calais  57  buildings  have  been 
damaged,  10  of  which  are  monuments  his- 
toriques.  The  famous  cathedral  at  Arras  has 
been  badly  injured  and  the  still  more  famous 
town  hall  is  almost  entirely  destroyed.  It  is 
reckoned  that  it  will  cost  about  80,000,000 
francs  to  restore  the  buildings. 

In  the  Somme  about  20  monuments  his- 
toriques  have  been  harmed  slightly,  including 
the  cathedral  and  two  churches  at  Amiens ;  and 
five  buildings  have  been  entirely  destroyed,  in- 
cluding the  famous  chateau  at  Ham. 

In  the  Oise  18  buildings  have  been  injured 
and  four  completely  destroyed ;  among  the  for- 
mer is  the  famous  cathedral  of  Noyon,  and 
among  the  latter  are  the  town  hall  at  Noyon 
and  the  charming  church  at  Tracy-le-Val. 


56  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

In  the  Ardennes  13  buildings  have  been 
damaged  and  3  destroyed. 

In  the  Vosges  4  have  been  damaged,  includ- 
ing the  cathedral  at  St.  Die  and  the  town  hall 
at  Rambervillers. 

In  Paris,  Notre-Dame  was  slightly  injured 
by  an  aeroplane  bomb;  and  St.  Gervais,  as 
every  one  knows,  was  hit  on  Good  Friday  by  a 
shell  from  the  long-range  gun. 

The  total  repair  bill  for  historical  monu- 
ments may  amount  eventually  to  1,300,000,000 
francs.  In  addition  it  is  estimated  that  there 
has  been  over  1,000,000,000  francs  of  theft  and 
damage  in  museums  and  other  public  collec- 
tions. 

There  is  another  kind  of  damage  that  can- 
not be  estimated  in  terms  of  money,  and  that  is 
physical  injury.  Entirely  apart  from  the  1,- 
400,000  French  soldiers  who  were  killed  and 
the  more  than  a  million  who  were  maimed, 
there  has  been  a  great  loss  among  the  civilian 
population  in  the  invaded  regions,  especially 
those  who  suffered  four  and  a  half  years  of  pri- 
vations during  the  German  occupation.  In 
Lille,  for  example,  among  the  110,000  people 
who  stayed  there  during  that  time  the  general 


DEVASTATION  57 

death-rate,  which  varied  from  19  to  21  per 
thousand  inhabitants,  increased  in  1918  to 
41.55.  This  remarkable  increase  was  due 
chiefly  to  an  enormous  spread  of  tuberculosis 
and  organic  diseases  of  the  heart,  dysentery, 
and  other  troubles  caused  or  aggravated  by 
improper  nourishment, 

Alsace-Lorraine  covers  5,604  square  miles; 
that  is,  it  is  about  the  same  size  as  the  state  of 
Connecticut.  This  is  2^/^  per  cent,  of  the  total 
area  of  France.  It  had  1,874,000  people  be- 
fore the  war.  During  the  war  the  French  held 
about  450  square  miles.  In  Alsace-Lorraine 
there  are  over  1,000,000  acres  of  forests;  there 
were  5,691  textile  plants  employing  over  80,- 
000  people ;  there  were  nearly  2,000,000  cotton- 
spindles.  It  produced  annually  3,539,000  tons 
of  coal;  20,083,000  tons  of  iron  ore;  102,644 
tons  of  potash,  the  total  deposit  of  the  latter 
being  estimated  at  2,000,000,000  tons.  It 
made  2,908,000  tons  of  pig-iron,  1,445,000  tons 
of  steel,  and  many  other  articles  in  lesser  quan- 
tities. 

As  there  was  no  very  hard  fighting  in  Alsace 
or  Lorraine,  most  of  the  mischief  done  there 
was  caused  by  air-bombing  or  committed  de- 


58  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

liberately.  The  charming  old  town  of  Thann 
is  about  half  destroyed,  as  are  a  number  of  the 
villages  to  the  north  of  it.  But  while  the  fig- 
ures are  not  at  hand,  the  total  damage  is  com- 
paratively small  and  to  France  the  economic 
gain  of  the  acquisition  of  the  territory  is  very 
great. 

Destruction  in  Belgium  is  similar  and  about 
the  same  proportionally  as  that  in  France. 
But  while  Belgium  had  over  7,500,000  inhabi- 
tants before  the  war,  her  area  is  only  11,323 
square  miles,  or  a  little  over  5  per  cent,  of  the 
area  of  France.  It  is  estimated  that  the  devas- 
tated area  in  Belgium  covers  only  about  600 
square  miles,  which  is  less  than  10  per  cent, 
of  the  devastated  area  of  France.  Before  the 
war  Belgium  had  nearly  1,500,000  acres  of  for- 
ests; it  produced  annually  3,253,000  tons  of 
potatoes,  1,703,000  tons  of  sugar-beets,  and 
great  quantities  of  oats,  rye,  and  wheat;  22,- 
972,000  tons  of  coal  were  mined  each  year  by 
146,000  miners;  2,301,000  tons  of  pig-iron 
were  made;  1,492,000  cotton-spindles  were  in 
use. 

There  are  about  85,000  damaged  buildings 
in  Belgium,  of  which  over  half  are  completely 


DEVASTATION  59 

destroyed.  Almost  all  of  these  are  in  the  very 
western  part  of  the  country,  on  each  side  of  a 
line  extending  through  Nieuport,  Dixmude, 
Ypres,  and  Menin.  But  in  Louvain,  which  is 
at  the  opposite  end  of  Belgium  from  the  devas- 
tated area,  there  are  over  1,500  destroyed  build- 
ings, including  the  famous  library. 

The  total  war-damage  bill  of  Belgium,  ac- 
cording to  the  report  made  in  April,  1919, 
by  the  Central  Industrial  Committee,  is  35,- 
000,000,000  francs. 

The  injury  to  government  property,  rail- 
roads, postal  service,  telegraph,  and  telephone 
systems,  public  buildings,  etc.,  amounts  to 
5,535,000,000  francs.  The  Government's  war 
expenses  and  the  Debt  Service  amount  to  10,- 
118,000,000  francs.  The  destruction  of  trans- 
portation other  than  that  of  the  Government 
amounts  to  797,000,000  francs.  The  taxes 
levied  by  the  Germans  on  the  provinces 
amounted  to  2,700,000,000  francs.  The  taxes 
levied  on  the  communes  amounted  to  1,860,- 
000,000  francs.  The  damage  to  industry  by 
destruction  and  requisition,  and  the  loss  of  ex- 
ploitation during  the  occupation,  amount  to 
8,028,000,000  francs. 


60  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Of  this  latter  sum  the  German  damage  and 
requisitions  amount  to  5,750,000,000  francs,  of 
which  658,000,000  are  for  the  mines,  335,000,- 
000  for  the  quarries,  496,000,000  for  the  cop- 
per, brass,  and  zinc  industry,  1,107,000,000  for 
the  iron  and  steel  industry;  1,627,000,000  for 
the  construction  of  machines,  bridges,  locomo- 
tives, and  cars;  154,000,000  for  the  glass  indus- 
try; 229,000,000  for  the  chemical  industry;  2,- 
000,000,000  for  the  textile  industry;  174,000,- 
000  for  food  manufacture;  144,000,000  for  the 
lumber  industry;  101,000,000  for  building  con- 
struction; 218,000,000  for  the  leather  industry; 
286,000,000  for  tramways,  water,  gas,  and  elec- 
tricity; 70,000,000  for  the  paper  industry,  etc. 

The  damage  to  agriculture  is  estimated  at 
1,602,000,000  francs.  The  damage  to  propri- 
etors, including  the  destruction  of  their  build- 
ings and  the  stealing  of  their  furniture  and 
supplies,  is  estimated  at  3,150,000,000  francs. 
This  makes  the  actual  damage  to  buildings, 
machinery,  furniture,  and  supplies,  amount  to 
16,836,000,000  francs. 

From  the  historical  and  artistic  side,  the  loss 
in  Belgium  is  not  great,  except  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  library  at  Louvain,  and  of  the 


THE  CATHEDRAL  AT  YPRES 


THE  OLD  TOWN   HALL  AT  RHEIMS 


THE   CLOTH    HALL  AT   YPRES 
The    Cathedral    in    the    background 


DEVASTATION  61 

town  hall  and  the  cathedral  at  Ypres.  These 
losses  are  among  the  greatest  of  the  war. 

The  human  loss  is  much  more  serious.  As 
was  brought  out  in  a  report  to  the  Belgian 
Government  on  March  26, 1919,  6,000  civilians 
were  assassinated  by  the  Germans,  leaving  over 
7,000  orphans.  Over  125,000  working-men 
were  deported  into  Germany,  where  they  un- 
derwent the  worst  kind  of  mistreatment. 

In  Italy  the  official  report  made  in  April, 
1919,  places  the  total  losses  caused  by  the  war 
at  between  110,000,000,000  and  135,000,000,- 
000  lira.  Of  this  amount  the  damage  done  by 
bombardment,  bombing,  and  fire  amounts  to 
between  10,000,000,000  and  15,000,000,000 
lira.  The  debts  contracted  abroad  and  the 
financial  depreciation  at  home  amount  to  be- 
tween 45,000,000,000  and  50,000,000,000  lira. 
The  retarding  of  the  natural  increase  of  public 
wealth  amounts  to  between  35,000,000000  and 
40,000,000,000  lira.  The  depreciation  of  pri- 
vate capital  amounts  to  between  15,000,000,- 
000  and  20,000,000,000  hra.  The  decrease  of 
wealth  in  the  annexed  provinces  amounts  to 
between  5,000,000,000  and  10,000,000,000  lira. 

In  Serbia  the  losses  are  estimated  at  about 


62  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

15,000,000,000  francs.  The  Germans  stole 
three  crops,  each  worth  1,000,000  francs. 
They  stole  or  killed  over  130,000  horses,  over 
6,000,000  sheep  and  goats,  2,000,000  pigs,  1,- 
300,000  head  of  cattle,  and  8,000,000  fowls. 
They  stole  or  destroyed  over  750,000,000 
francs'  worth  of  manufactured  articles.  The 
damage  to  buildings  and  public  works  is  small, 
amounting  to  not  much  over  30,000,000  francs ; 
but  the  damage  to  furniture,  tools,  and  uten- 
sils amounts  to  over  400,000,000  francs.  The 
requisition  and  the  taxes  levied  by  the  enemy 
came  to  more  than  800,000,000  francs.  There 
are  over  100,000  maimed  soldiers  in  Serbia,  and 
over  150,000  children  who  have  lost  both  father 
and  mother. 

The  official  Rumanian  statement  made  in 
April,  1919,  places  the  material  loss  of  Ru- 
mania at  10,250,000,000  francs,  without 
counting  that  suffered  by  the  departments  and 
communes;  and  at  16,000,000,000  francs  the 
injury  to  private  individuals.  Of  this  amount 
the  damage  to  industrial  buildings  amounts  to 
650,000,000  francs.  The  damage  to  other 
buildings  amounts  to  450,000,000  francs. 
While  Rumania  was  in  the  war  and  since  the 


DEVASTATION  63 

armistice,  over  265,000  people  in  the  country 
have  died  from  epidemic  diseases.  Forty-six 
thousand  soldiers  died  in  captivity. 

In  Poland  it  is  officially  stated  that  the  civ- 
ilian war  losses  amount  to  73,000,000,000 
francs,  which  is  fully  one  fourth  of  the  total  for 
all  alhed  countries.  The  industries  are  to  a 
very  large  extent  wrecked  and  something  like 
one  twelfth  of  all  of  the  buildings  in  Poland 
are  destroyed. 

Germany  has  systematically  tried  to  ruin  her 
enemies.  Almost  no  destruction  has  taken 
place  within  her  own  borders ;  but  she  frankly 
boasts  that  she  has  tried  to  put  France  and 
Belgium  in  a  position  where  they  could  not 
compete  with  her  in  the  commerce  and  industry 
of  the  world.  The  stupendous  figures  that  we 
have  just  been  presenting  show  how  necessary 
it  is,  if  we  would  prevent  Germany  from  mak- 
ing good  her  boast,  to  help  France  and  Bel- 
gium with  their  greatly  weakened  man  power 
and  resources  get  back  on  their  feet  again. 
Once  they  have  had  a  hand  up  they  can  carry 
on  themselves ;  but  unless  they  have  that  help, 
Germany  will  have  won  what  many  consider 
her  first  object  in  bringing  on  the  war. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   RETURN 

When  the  Germans  were  pushed  back,  at  the 
Battle  of  the  Marne,  the  refugees  poured  back 
in  their  train.  The  Germans  had  advanced 
and  retreated  so  quickly  that  except  along  the 
battle  line  of  the  Marne  there  was  very  little 
destruction.  Thus  it  was  easy  for  the  people 
to  return  and  return  they  did,  not  only  the 
refugees  from  the  released  land  but  also  a  great 
many  who  had  been  pushed  out  of  the  region 
beyond,  which  the  Germans  continued  to  hold 
for  oX^er  two  and  a  half  years.  The  result  was 
that  the  whole  liberated  region  just  west  and 
south  of  the  front  was  congested  with  refugees, 
in  addition  to  the  fact  that  every  available  space 
was  taken  by  the  French,  British,  or  other 
armies  for  the  billeting  of  men  and  horses. 

This  liberated  region  was  all  considered  part 
of  the  war  zone  and  circulation  was  difficult. 
The  main  roads  were  always  crowded  with 

64 


THE  RETURN  65 

troops  moving  in  or  out  and  with  immense 
stores  of  ammunition  and  provisions  going  up 
to  the  front.  The  soldiers  were  destructive, 
as  armies  always  are,  but  on  the  other  hand  the 
army  bought  farm  produce  and  other  things 
as  fast  as  these  could  be  supplied.  The  army 
requisitioned  most  of  the  horses  and  cattle,  but 
they  would  lend  a  helping  hand  with  the  plow- 
ing and  in  gathering  the  crops. 

German  aeroplanes  would  come  over  now 
and  then.  At  first  they  did  not  do  very  much 
except  reconnoiter;  but  later  on,  on  clear 
nights,  they  dropped  bombs  even  in  the  most 
unexpected  places. 

Wherever  they  could  the  Germans  carried 
away  farming-implements  and  machines,  tools, 
machinery,  utensils,  furniture,  and  stocks  of 
goods,  but  in  general  during  this  first  retreat 
they  were  forced  back  so  rapidly  that  they  did 
not  have  time  to  do  nearly  as  much  damage  as 
they  did  in  their  later  retreats. 

Despite  the  difficulty  of  transporting  fertil- 
izer, seed,  and  tools,  farming  prospered  in  the 
early  liberated  regions,  especially  where  sol- 
diers could  be  had  to  help  out  with  the  work, 
to  take  the  place  of  the  men  who  had  been  mo- 


66  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

bilized.  This  rich  agricultural  land — ^the 
seven  to  eight  thousand  square  miles  that  were 
liberated  in  the  first  retreat — continued  at 
nearly  its  former  productive  value. 

In  the  towns  people  had  a  harder  time  of  it. 
The  shops  had  plenty  of  customers,  but  they 
had  great  difficulty  in  getting  their  supplies, 
for  all  of  the  railways  were  at  the  service  of 
the  army,  and  civilians  could  get  only  the 
small  amount  of  space  the  army  might  let  them 
have. 

Nearer  the  firing-line,  within  range  of  the 
German  guns,  conditions  were  much  more  dif- 
ficult. In  general  the  French  Army  tried  to 
keep  a  space  some  four  or  five  miles  deep  be- 
hind the  hues  to  which  no  civilians  were  allowed 
to  return  lest  they  be  in  the  way  of  army  opera- 
tions. As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  refu- 
gees would  go  back  to  their  homes  and  to  their 
daily  life,  even  almost  up  to  the  firing-line  it- 
self. A  story  is  told  of  a  French  officer  in 
charge  of  one  of  the  sectors  at  Rheims,  who  was 
much  worried  about  the  French  peasant  farm- 
ers that  persisted  in  working  where  they  were  in 
full  view  of  the  enemy,  who  every  now  and  then 
would  shell  them.     He  expostulated  with  the 


THE  RETURN  67 

peasants  and  tried  to  persuade  them  to  stop, 
but  they  stubbornly  insisted  that  they  always 
had  worked  there  and  saw  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  continue.  Finally  he  found  that 
the  only  way  he  could  protect  them  was  to  send 
out  his  military  police  and  arrest  them.  They 
were  typical  of  the  French  peasant  farmer, 
who  can't  see  why  a  passing  thing  like  fighting 
should  stop  the  work  that  he  has  been  doing  for 
a  thousand  years.  All  through  history  people 
have  been  fighting  over  this  same  land,  and  all 
through  history  the  French  peasant  has  kept 
doggedly  at  his  work. 

If  a  shell  fell  in  his  field  the  farmer  would 
go  to  work  and  fill  up  the  hole.  If  a  trench  or 
barbed  wire  ran  across  his  field  he  would  plow 
around  it.  If  a  shell  or  a  bomb  broke  his  win- 
dows he  would  cover  them  with  oiled  paper  or 
canvas,  if  he  could  get  it ;  if  his  roof  or  part  of 
his  wall  was  damaged  he  would  try  to  get  some 
tarred  paper  or  tin  with  which  to  repair  it.  If 
the  Germans  had  injured  his  farming-imple- 
ments he  would  do  his  best  to  repair  them,  or 
he  would  make  shift  with  what  he  could  find, 
although  of  course  wherever  he  could  he  would 
go  to  the  government  repair  shops  to  have  his 


68  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

implements  and  machines  mended  up  or  to  buy 
new  ones.  For  such  food  as  he  could  not  sup- 
ply himself  he  would  drive  or  walk  to  the  near- 
est town. 

They  did  manage  to  exist,  these  refugees, 
but  there  was  much  suffering  among  them,  both 
in  the  country  districts  and  in  the  towns.  It 
was  to  alleviate  this  distress  that  the  French 
Government  and  various  French  and  foreign 
societies  started  relief  work  throughout  the  lib- 
erated regions,  although  it  was  not  until  the 
spring  of  1917  that  the  work  was  done  on  any 
large  scale. 

With  the  Battle  of  the  Somme  in  the  spring 
of  1917  the  Germans  were  driven  back  as 
much  as  twenty-five  miles  in  some  places  over  a 
frontage  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
This  released  about  one  thousand,  five  hundred 
and  fifty  square  miles  of  land,  all  the  way  from 
Lens  on  the  north  to  Rheims  on  the  south. 
There  are  over  six  hundred  communes  in  this 
area  and  there  was  hardly  one  among  them  that 
was  left  intact.  We  did  find,  however,  a  few 
of  the  larger  towns,  like  Noyon,  Guiscard, 
Ham,  and  others,  that  had  suffered  compara- 
tively little,  except  along  the  railways.     This 


THE  RETURN  69 

was  because  the  Germans  before  retreating 
concentrated  the  French  civilian  population  in 
these  centers  so  that  they  could  destroy  the 
rest  of  the  area  systematically.  This  meant 
that  almost  all  of  the  farming  villages  were 
demolished,  and  all  along  the  former  front, 
which  the  Germans  had  held  for  two  and  a  half 
years,  the  destruction  was  complete. 

This  was  the  first  real  desolation  on  the  vast 
scale  that  we  know  so  well  to-day,  where  one 
can  travel  for  miles  and  see  nothing  whole — 
gaping  walls  with  perhaps  a  formidable  Ger- 
man concrete  gun-turret  built  right  across  what 
used  to  be  a  home ;  shell-holes  so  close  together 
that  the  British  officer  was  quite  justified  when 
he  complained  that  the  boches  had  not  even  left 
him  the  width  of  a  single-file  path  for  his  mule 
train;  unbelievable  acres  of  rusting  barbed- 
wire  entanglements;  ghostly  gnawed-off  for- 
ests standing  ashamed ;  every  cross-road  a  vast 
crater,  and  everywhere  the  wreckage  of  war, 
as  though  a  battle  had  been  fought  here  only 
yesterday. 

Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  the  Germans  were 
driven  out  of  the  region  the  French  peasants 
came  trooping  back  from  where  they  had  been 


70  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

waiting  all  of  this  time,  just  west  of  the  front, 
or  from  the  interior  of  France.  The  French 
Army  did  not  want  them  there  because  they 
were  in  the  way  and  because  they  must  be  fed. 
The  French  Ministry  of  the  Interior  ordered 
the  prefets  throughout  France  to  let  only  those 
return  who  could  look  out  for  themselves  and 
who  could  be  economically  independent;  but, 
despite  the  destruction  and  the  menace  of  the 
Germans,  anywhere  from  10  to  25  per  cent,  of 
the  original  population  returned  into  this  re- 
gion. It  was  a  strange  experience,  which  I 
often  had  here  in  the  summer  of  1917,  to  go 
through  village  after  village  that  at  first  sight 
appeared  to  be  completely  deserted — where 
trenches  ran  through  what  was  left  of  homes 
and  where  the  farm-yards  were  a  network  of 
barbed  wire — and  see  an  old  peasant  woman 
emerge  from  a  cellar,  or  an  old  man  come 
out  of  a  flimsy  lean-to,  and  to  find  here  and 
there  chickens,  rabbits,  goats,  and  now  and 
then  a  cow  or  a  horse.  It  was  a  miserable 
existence  at  best;  these  people  were  real 
pioneers.  One  would  see  them  picking  in  their 
ruins,  and  would  wonder  what  they  could  sal- 
vage. 


THE  RETURN  71 

The  one  bright  spot  for  them  was  the  army 
dump.  No  village  fair  nor  city  department 
store  ever  held  out  such  tempting  possibilities. 
To  be  sure,  they  were  not  supposed  to  take 
anything  deposited  here,  but  where  one  starts 
housekeeping  with  nothing  at  all,  a  rusty  little 
camp  stove  or  a  broken-down  iron  bed  or  a 
sheet  of  corrugated  iron  is  a  Godsend,  and 
somehow  everything  that  human  ingenuity 
could  use  melted  away  from  the  dumps,  to  re- 
appear as  the  pride  of  the  home  of  some  Robin- 
son Crusoe. 

It  was  in  the  little  village  of  Pimprez,  be- 
tween Compiegne  and  Noyon,  that  I  was  in  a 
ruined  stone  house  when  the  owner  and  her 
daughter  returned  to  see  it  for  the  first  time 
since  the  Germans  were  pushed  back.  For 
two  and  a  half  years  these  two  had  had  to  live 
in  a  dark,  damp  cellar  under  the  house,  sleep- 
ing on  straw,  and  forced  to  take  care  of  a 
group  of  German  officers  who  hved  over  their 
heads.  They  exultingly  told  how  once  a 
French  shell  had  hit  the  house  and  killed  most 
of  the  German  occupants.  They  went  with 
dry  eyes  all  over  the  ruins  of  their  home  and  of 
their  charming  garden  (for  the  Germans  had 


72  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

maliciously  cut  down  every  tree  and  bush  in 
it,  even  uprooted  the  flowers)  ;  they  did  not 
really  break  down  until  they  looked  in  the 
place  where  they  had  hidden  their  ancestral 
linen  only  to  find  that  the  Germans  had  rifled 
it. 

Most  of  those  that  stayed  through  the  Ger- 
man occupation  preserve  a  bitter  hatred  of  the 
boches  and  everything  pertaining  to  them. 
The  majority  of  the  peasants  feel  about  them 
as  did  an  old  woman  in  one  of  the  little  vil- 
lages back  of  St.  Mihiel.  An  American  sol- 
dier told  me  that  when  the  American  Army 
took  the  St.  Mihiel  salient,  in  the  summer  of 
1918,  he  arrived  in  a  little  village  just  after  the 
Germans  had  left.  The  place  seemed  quite 
deserted,  but  as  he  and  his  companions  pushed 
open  the  door  of  a  little  house  they  found  an 
old  woman  huddled  up  over  a  small  fire.  In 
his  picturesque  French  he  told  her  that  the 
boches  had  gone  and  that  the  Americans  had 
come  to  free  her.  She  paid  no  attention  and 
did  not  seem  to  understand.  He  illustrated 
what  he  had  said  as  graphically  as  he  could; 
and  finally,  without  saying  a  word  or  even 
looking  at  her  visitors,  she  got  up,  walked 


THE  RETURN  73 

across  the  room,  opened  the  door  of  a  cupboard, 
and  swept  all  the  china  off  one  shelf  after  an- 
other, upon  the  tiled  floor.  The  Americans 
naturally  thought  she  was  crazy,  but  they 
looked  at  the  china  bits  and  found  on  each  arti- 
cle an  imperial  German  double  eagle.  Her 
loathing  for  the  German  officers,  for  whom  she 
had  kept  a  popote  for  four  years,  could  hardly 
have  been  more  emphatically  expressed. 

These  pioneers  who  returned  to  the  desert 
needed  much  help.  The  French  Army,  which 
extended  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  river 
Somme,  organized  an  important  service  for 
supplying  the  urgent  needs  of  the  returning 
civilians.  Meanwhile  the  Ministry  of  the  In- 
terior, working  through  the  prefets,  the  sous- 
prefets,  and  the  mayors,  did  what  it  could  to 
help  the  people  get  started  again.  As  far  as 
possible  they  supplied  food,  clothing,  tools, 
utensils,  furniture,  bedding,  and  materials  for 
repairs,  and  even  help  in  the  plowing  of  the 
fields.  They  also  secured  some  farm  animals 
for  the  peasants.  The  Government  put  up 
nearly  three  thousand  portable  wooden  houses, 
besides  repairing  several  thousand  more. 

North  of  the  Somme,  in  the  British  Army 


74  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

zone,  very  few  of  the  inhabitants  returned, 
partly  because  the  land  was  so  churned  up  by 
shell  fire  and  the  buildings  so  wrecked  that  to 
live  there  was  almost  out  of  the  question,  and 
partly  because  the  British  forces  needed  all  of 
the  available  space  for  their  military  prepara- 
tions and  provisioning.  The  British  Army 
plowed  about  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of 
land  in  the  district,  on  which  they  raised  crops 
chiefly  for  their  own  use.  The  French  Gov- 
ernment did  not  encourage  the  refugees  to 
return  to  this  region. 

Meanwhile,  to  the  south  of  the  Somme  vari- 
ous private  relief  societies  came  in,  each  taking 
a  number  of  towns  to  itself  in  which  it  had  ex- 
clusive charge  of  helping  the  returning  refu- 
gees. Most  of  the  clothing  and  furniture  that 
they  have  been  distributing  comes  from  the 
Government.  These  societies,  several  of  which 
were  British  or  American,  worked  under  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior  and  later  under  that 
of  Liberated  Regions,  supplementing  the  re- 
lief work  which  the  French  Government  was 
doing.  Their  services  were  of  the  greatest 
value,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  there  would 
hav^  been  vastly  more  suffering  than  there 


THE  RETURN  75 

was  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  devotion  of  the 
French,  British,  and  Americans  who  lived  in 
thes*e  regions  until  the  next  German  offensive, 
sharing  the  rough  quarters  of  the  refugees 
themselves.  Three  of  these  societies  did  a 
great  deal  of  repairing,  which  was  deeply  ap- 
preciated by  the  refugees. 

During  the  winter  of  1917-18  it  was  very 
cold  and  wet,  and  many  of  the  refugees  grew 
discouraged  and  went  back  into  the  interior  of 
France.  Those  who  persevered  were  just  get- 
ting well  started  in  their  spring  plowing  when 
the  great  German  offensive  of  the  end  of 
March,  1918,  drove  them  out  again.  This 
time  the  French  Government  tried  to  evacuate 
everybody.  Nearly  twelve  hundred  square 
miles  of  land  were  again  overrun  by  the  Ger- 
mans on  a  frontage  of  about  eighty  miles  and 
to  a  maximum  depth  of  about  thirty-seven 
miles.  Many  of  the  people  moved  into  the  dis- 
tricts just  to  the  south,  around  Soissons  and 
Chateau-Thierry,  only  to  be  driven  out  of  that 
region  again  by  the  onrush  of  the  enemy  in  the 
end  of  May,  1918.  This  time  the  invaders  ad- 
vanced a  maximum  of  about  twenty-five  miles 
and  took  about  eleve^  hundred  square  miles  of 


76  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

territory.  Again  every  road  was  crowded 
with  the  farmers  driving  their  live-stock  before 
them,  pushing  baby-carriages,  wheelbarrows, 
anything  in  which  they  could  take  away  their 
more  precious  belongings.  Some  made  their 
way  almost  across  France  before  they  found  a 
resting-place.  Nearly  seventy-five  thousand 
poured  through  Paris  by  train  in  the  last  days 
of  May  and  the  first  days  of  June,  1918. 

All  during  the  summer  of  1918  they  waited 
impatiently  for  their  chance  to  return,  and  as 
fast  as  the  Germans  were  driven  back  in 
August  and  the  early  autumn  the  refugees 
flocked  in  after  them.  The  restrictions  of  the 
Government  were  severe  at  first  because  it  was 
not  prepared  to  take  care  of  very  many  at  a 
time,  but  as  its  services  of  transportation  and 
provisioning  improved  the  door  was  opened 
more  and  more,  until  in  the  spring  of  1919  all 
restrictions  were  removed  and  anybody  that 
wanted  to  go  back  could. 

Thousands  of  families  went  back  on  forty- 
eight-hour  passes;  a  few  stayed  over  in  the 
ruins  of  their  homes,  but  most  decided  to  give 
it  up  for  the  time  being  and  returned  to  their 
temporary  abiding-place  in  the  interior  until 


THE  RETURN  77 

such  time  as  the  Government  would  be  able  to 
take  care  of  them  in  their  wrecked  towns. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1919  many  went  back 
to  plow  and  to  start  cleaning  up  their  places, 
and  as  the  weather  became  warmer  people  ar- 
rived in  large  numbers  with  the  expectation  of 
staying  through  the  summer  at  least,  and  with 
the  hope  that  they  would  be  well  enough  in- 
stalled by  autimin  to  carry  on  through  the  fol- 
lowing winter.  Up  to  the  first  of  July,  1919, 
Rheims,  which  was  almost  demolished,  had  got 
back  nearly  35,000  of  the  115,000  inhabitants 
it  had  before  the  war.  To  Lens,  entirely  de- 
stroyed, 2,500  of  its  population  of  32,000  had 
returned ;  to  Chauny,  also  destroyed,  500  of  its 
13,000;  to  Ham,  half -destroyed,  had  come 
1,000  of  its  3,000  people.  There  are  many  of 
the  smaller  demohshed  villages  to  which  virtu- 
ally nobody  has  returned  even  yet,  but  it  is 
reckoned  that  among  the  three-thousand-odd 
damaged  villages  about  35  per  cent,  of  the  for- 
mer population  has  come  back  so  far.  This  is 
in  addition  to  the  workmen  and  the  soldiers 
quartered  in  the  towns. 

French,  British,  and  American  relief  socie- 
ties have  been  very  active  since  the  armistice, 


78  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

particularly  since  the  first  of  the  year,  when 
refugees  began  to  come  back  in  numbers.  A 
number  of  local  committees  have  been  formed 
to  take  care  of  regions  that  could  not  be  so  well 
looked  after  by  the  general  relief  societies. 
The  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  has  tried 
to  divide  up  the  field  geographically  among 
these  different  societies  and  committees,  so  that 
each  will  have  without  any  overlapping  a  defi- 
nite district  for  itself,  for  which  it  will  be  solely 
responsible.  These  relief  societies  are  still  giv- 
ing, or  rather  selhng,  a  considerable  amount  of 
clothing,  furniture,  utensils,  etc.  (chiefly  fur- 
nished by  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions), 
but  more  and  more  they  are  trying  to  help  local 
commerce  get  on  its  feet,  with  the  expectation 
that  they  will  be  able  to  withdraw  most  of  their 
relief  work  soon,  allowing  normal  economic 
conditions  to  take  their  course.  Lately  these 
relief  organizations  have  been  actively  helping 
the  Government  in  its  great  program  of  cre- 
ating reconstruction  cooperative  societies  and 
agricultural  syndicates;  in  establishing  public- 
health  services,  dispensaries,  and  hospitals ;  and 
in  creating  centers  of  community  life  and 
recreation. 


THE  RETURN  79 

The  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  has  set 
up  several  thousand  portable  houses  and  many 
hundred  large  barracks.  It  is  making  emer- 
gency repairs  on  hundreds  of  other  houses  and 
in  this  work  some  of  the  relief  societies  are  help- 
ing actively.  The  French  Government  has 
several  hundred  thousand  men  at  work  clean- 
ing up  the  fields  and  plowing  them.  Arrange- 
ments are  being  made  for  clearing  away  the 
ruins  of  the  villages.  The  return  is  well  under 
way.  By  the  spring  of  1920  life  should  have 
begun  to  be  reestablished  on  every  hand. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PUBLIC   BELIEF 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  war,  in 
August,  1914,  the  prefets  of  the  ten  depart- 
ments that  were  wholly  or  partly  overrun  by 
the  Germans  were  instructed  by  the  Govern- 
ment in  Paris  to  give  every  help  they  could  to 
the  refugees.  Each  prefet  distributed  relief, 
working  through  the  sous-prefets,  the  mayors, 
and  through  local  committees  wherever  they 
could  be  formed.  Car-loads  and  truck-loads 
of  food  and  clothing  were  sent  down  from 
Paris  and  elsewhere. 

On  December  26,  1914,  the  French  parha- 
ment  opened  a  credit  with  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior  of  300,000,000  francs  to  meet  the  most 
urgent  needs  of  the  civilians  in  the  war  zone. 
Upon  the  creation  of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated 
Regions,  in  November,  1917,  the  credit  was 
turned  over  to  the  head  of  this  department,  and 
on  August  5,  1918,  he  reported  to  the  parlia- 

80 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  81 

ment  that  140,000,000  francs  of  this  sum  had  al- 
ready been  expended — 15,000,000  francs  in  the 
Marne;  10,000,000  francs  in  the  Somme;  from 
5,000,000  to  8,000,000  francs  each  in  the  Oise, 
the  Meurthe-et-Moselle,  the  Aisne,  and  the 
Meuse;  and  2,500,000  francs  each  in  the  Nord, 
the  Vosges,  and  the  Seine-et-Marne.  On  May 
18,  1919,  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions 
reported  to  the  parKament  that  about  125,000,- 
000  francs  out  of  this  credit  had  been  advanced 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Hberated  regions  up 
to  April  1,  1919,  in  the  form  of  advances 
against  their  eventual  war  indemnity;  that  is 
to  say,  20,000,000  francs  directly  against  their 
eventual  damages,  10,000,000  francs  for  urgent 
repairs,  15,000,000  francs  for  furniture,  5,000,- 
000  francs  to  small  shopkeepers,  18,000,000 
francs  to  manufacturers,  and  69,000,000  francs 
to  farmers.  This  means  only  money  given, 
and  does  not  include  any  supplies. 

Meanwhile,  from  early  in  the  war  there  ex- 
isted an  interparliamentary  committee  which 
consisted  of  all  of  the  Senators  and  Deputies 
from  the  invaded  departments.  This  commit- 
tee considered  the  problems  which  affected 
their  constituents.     There  was  also  an  inter- 


82  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

ministerial  committee  which  consisted  of  repre- 
sentatives from  all  of  the  different  ministries 
that  were  interested  in  the  problems  of  the  war 
zone.  First  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  and 
later  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions 
worked  in  close  contact  and  harmony  with  these 
two  committees. 

In  a  decree  of  July  9,  1917,  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior  arranged  for  the  payment  of 
1  fr.  25  a  day  to  each  head  of  a  refugee  family 
or  adult,  and  0  f r.  75  per  day  for  each  child  un- 
der sixteen  years  of  age.  These  are  the  same 
amounts  that  wives  and  children  of  mobilized 
soldiers  were  getting;  however,  in  the  case  of 
refugees  it  was  limited  to  three  months,  with 
the  privilege  of  renewal  if  needed,  provided 
the  mayor,  the  prefet,  and  the  committee  in 
charge  agreed.  The  decree  arranged  for  the 
distribution  of  food  to  especially  needy  fam- 
ihes;  it  also  tried  to  find  work  for  the  refu- 
gees. 

In  a  circular  issued  by  the  Minister  of  Lib- 
erated Regions  in  January,  1919,  it  was  stated 
that  refugees  were  to  continue  to  receive  this 
daily  stipend,  which  had  since  been  increased  to 
1  f r.  75  for  adults  and  1  fr.  4  for  children  under 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  88 

sixteen,  until  a  general  authorization  was  given 
allowing  them  to  return  to  their  native  towns, 
with  three  months  of  grace  after  that  date. 
Furthermore,  every  refugee  was  to  be  given 
twenty  francs  to  help  him  get  started  imme- 
diately upon  his  arrival  in  his  native  town. 

Early  in  1918  there  was  put  in  charge  of  re- 
lief work,  in  each  t)f  the  liberated  departments, 
a  secretary-general  who  was  directly  responsi- 
ble to  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  for 
all  relief  and  reconstruction  work  in  his  depart- 
ment. Relief  outposts  were  set  up  wherever 
needed  in  the  department.  These  relief  sta- 
tions sold,  at  a  small  price,  clothes,  linen,  shoes, 
utensils,  tools,  etc.  They  were  given  priority 
in  the  transportation  of  their  supplies.  Each 
post  took  care  of  a  number  of  communes  and 
in  each  commune  the  station  would  rely  on  the 
mayor,  the  school-teacher,  the  cure,  and  others, 
to  keep  it  informed  about  the  needy  people  in 
their  communities. 

The  prefet  and  the  secretary-general  worked 
in  close  cooperation  with  any  private  relief  so- 
cieties that  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and  al- 
ways made  a  point  of  rounding  out  the  work  of 
these  societies. 


U  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

In  October,  1916,  I  had  the  privilege  of  in- 
specting the  rehef  work  in  the  Department  of 
the  Meurthe-et-Moselle,  with  the  prefet.  Mon- 
sieur Mirman,  who  has  since  left,  to  administer 
the  recovered  province  of  Lorraine.  His  work 
was  a  striking  example  of  how  wholesale  re- 
lief work  can  be  made  human,  for  despite  the 
fact  that  he  was  taking  care  of  thousands,  al- 
most hundreds  of  thousands  of  refugees,  he 
seemed  to  have  a  personal  contact  with  them 
all  and  the  children  all  knew  him  and  flocked 
to  him  as  their  godfather. 

I  asked  him  how  he  handled  the  relief  prob- 
lem and  where  his  money  came  from,  and  he 
said  he  went  ahead  and  did  everything  that  he 
felt  necessary  for  his  people,  and  then  at  the 
end  of  each  month  he  sent  in  an  account  to  the 
Government  at  Paris;  usually  there  was  no 
question,  but  if  there  was  he  would  go  up  to 
Paris  and  fight  it  through,  because  he  insisted 
on  being  allowed  to  use  his  own  judgment  as  to 
what  was  needed  and  when  it  was  needed. 

He  showed  us  many  buildings  around 
Nancy  that  had  recently  been  destroyed  by 
nineteen-inch  shells  coming  from  about  eight- 
een miles  away.     He  showed  us  especially  a 


French   Official  Photo. 

A  TYPICAL  GOVERNMENT  PORTABLE  TOWN  HALL  AND  SCHOOL 


A.  R    C.  Photo. 

A   TYPICAL    GOVERNMENT    PORTABLE    HUT 


^ 

■M 

>--l           J 

l 

k 

M 

A    f    ^ 

i 

^ 

\ 

Hi 

I^MF-f 

,  J  'l3R. 

/4.  J?.  C.  Photo. 

THE   INTERIOR   OF   A   PORTABLE    HUT   FOR   REFUGii^ES 


A.  R.  C.  Photo. 

THE   INTERIOR   OF    A   TiPICAL    WOODEN    HUT 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  85 

school  building  which  a  few  weeks  before  had 
been  hit  by  a  shell  while  school  was  in  session. 
Fortunately,  when  the  first  shot  was  fired  that 
morning  the  teacher  took  all  of  the  children 
down  into  the  basement  of  the  school,  and  when 
the  second  shot  demolished  the  building  over 
their  heads  not  one  of  the  children  was  harmed. 
During  constant  bombardments  Nancy  was 
full  of  refugees  from  Pont-a-Mousson  and  the 
villages  to  the  north  where  the  fighting  was  go- 
ing on.  Despite  the  danger  most  of  the  refu- 
gees preferred  to  stay  here  rather  than  to  be 
sent  off  to  the  interior  of  France;  they  had  a 
feeling  that  any  day  they  might  be  able  to  get 
back  to  their  homes.  The  result  was  that  there 
was  a  most  serious  relief  problem  in  Nancy. 
We  visited  the  big  military  barracks  on  the 
edge  of  the  town,  where  Pref  et  Mirman  showed 
us  twenty-five  hundred  refugees,  men,  women, 
and  children.  All  had  beds,  mattresses,  and 
plenty  of  blankets;  each  family  had  a  place 
which  they  had  partitioned  off  for  themselves ; 
there  was  a  big  common  kitchen  and  dining- 
room  where  nourishing  meals  were  prepared 
and  served;  there  were  work-rooms  for  the  men 
and  women;  there  were  schools  in  which  the 


86  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

girls  learned  housekeeping,  sewing,  and  cook- 
ing, and  schools  in  which  the  boys  learned  car- 
pentry and  various  things  connected  with  farm- 
ing; and  there  was — what  Prefet  Mirman  was 
proudest  of — a  theater!  He  said  that  he  had 
had  much  trouble  in  enforcing  discipline  at 
first:  at  least  eight  guards  were  necessary  just 
to  keep  the  children  out  of  mischief ;  but  when 
he  put  in  the  theater,  with  cinema  shows,  ama- 
teur theatricals,  concerts,  and  other  attrac- 
tions he  found  that  he  could  reduce  his  guards 
from  eight  to  two.  But  the  charming  thing 
about  my  visit  was  to  see  the  way  every  one 
greeted  the  prefet  with  a  smile.  All  the  chil- 
dren would  run  up  to  him  and  he  had  a  cheery 
word  for  every  one ;  he  inquired  after  each  one's 
health  and  told  each  just  what  to  do  to  take 
care  of  himself.  There  was  one  child  who  had 
been  behaving  very  badly  and  sternly  but  tact- 
fully the  prefet  told  him  just  why  he  must  do 
better,  appealing  to  his  good  nature.  With 
every  one  he  was  very  kind,  very  gentle,  very 
patient;  but  at  the  same  time  he  made  all  of 
them  realize  that  they  must  play  the  game  too. 
In  the  autumn  of  1916  he  was  taking  care  of  all 
of  these  people,  and  paying  all  overhead  ex- 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  87 

penses,  for  1  fr.  .05  per  person  a  day;  to-day 
the  same  thing  would  cost  about  double. 

In  the  summer  of  1919  we  find  this  work  con- 
tinuing, the  Government  encouraging  private 
relief  societies  to  work  wherever  they  can  and 
dividing  up  the  field  among  them.  More  and 
more  the  Government  is  creating  local  com- 
mittees that  will  be  responsible  for  their  respec- 
tive districts.  It  is  encouraging  normal  busi- 
ness ;  it  is  helping  the  local  shopkeepers,  build- 
ing-trade and  professional  people  to  begin  life 
anew  in  their  own  towns ;  but  wherever  there  is 
real  suffering  that  nobody  else  is  trying  to  re- 
lieve, the  Government  steps  in  and  takes  up 
the  task. 

In  recognition  of  the  immediate  need  for  the 
resumption  of  a  normal  economic  existence  a 
special  service  was  organized  on  December  18, 
1918,  in  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions, 
called  the  Service  des  Travaux  de  Premiere 
Urgence.     It  is  the  duty  of  this  service: 

(1)  To  plow  and  to  sow  all  land  that  is 
immediately  available. 

(2)  To  remove  unexploded  munitions  from 
the  soil;  to  fill  in  the  trenches  and  the  shell- 


88  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

holes ;  and  in  general  to  put  the  soil  back  into 
condition  for  cultivation. 

(3)  To  make  temporary  repairs  to  any 
houses  that  can  easily  be  made  habitable,  and 
to  put  up  all  sorts  of  temporary  shelters  for 
the  returning  refugees. 

(4)  To  erect  barracks  for  the  housing  of 
labor  at  work  in  the  devastated  regions. 

(5)  To  put  back  the  narrow-gage  railways 
throughout  the  devastated  regions. 

In  addition  to  the  central  organization  in 
Paris,  there  is  a  branch  organization  in  each 
department,  which  has  its  own  personnel,  trans- 
portation, and  stock  of  material.  On  June  15, 
1919,  the  work  was  divided  into  twenty  sectors, 
with  a  total  of  827  officers  in  charge  and  5,197 
office  workers  and  foremen.  The  labor  in- 
cluded 82,640  French  civilians,  8,122  French 
soldiers,  17,199  Russians  and  colonials,  and 
179,906  German  and  other  prisoners:  a  total  of 
nearly  300,000  people  doing  emergency  work 
in  the  devastated  regions.  The  pay-roll,  trans- 
portation, and  supplies  were  costing  the  Gov- 
ernment about  200,000,000  francs  a  month. 
This  army,  however,  was  getting  splendid  re- 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  89 

stilts.  By  the  fifteenth  of  June  nearly  5,000,- 
000  acres  of  land  had  been  put  back  into  con- 
dition for  cultivation;  over  80,000,000  square 
yards  of  barbed-wire  entanglement  had  been 
cleared  up;  about  33,000,000  cubic  yards  of 
trenches  and  shell-holes  had  been  filled;  nearly 
75,000  houses  had  received  enough  temporary 
repairs  to  make  them  habitable;  and  in  addi- 
tion nearly  5,000  portable  houses  had  been 
erected. 

One  of  the  most  serious  problems  of  all  is 
water-supply.  During  the  war  the  engineer- 
ing corps  of  the  various  armies  put  in  a  sani- 
tary water-supply  in  each  camp  center.  This 
water-supply  was  usually  left  in  good  condi- 
tion when  the  army  withdrew;  in  fact,  a  num- 
ber of  new  ones  were  established,  but  these 
by  no  means  sufficed.  Ever  since  the  army 
left,  the  sanitary  service  of  the  Ministry  of  Lib- 
erated Regions  has  been  studying  this  situation 
and  through  the  Service  des  Travaux  de  Pre- 
miere Urgence  has  cleaned  out  and  rendered 
safe  a  number  of  wells.  Meanwhile,  on  May 
21,  1919,  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Rural 
Engineering  issued  a  statement  about  water- 
supply  showing  under  just  what  conditions  it 


90  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

was  or  was  not  safe  to  drink  the  water  found  in 
wells,  ponds,  or  brooks  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions. The  statement  is  based  on  a  general 
order  issued  by  the  French  Army  Headquar- 
ters Sanitary  Service  on  October  27,  1914. 

As  the  question  of  sewage-disposal  also  has 
become  most  urgent  in  the  devastated  regions, 
especially  in  cities  and  larger  towns,  the  sani- 
tary service  of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Re- 
gions and  the  Service  des  Travaux  de  Pre- 
miere Urgence  have  had  to  devote  much  atten- 
tion to  disinfecting  the  ruins  and  to  cleaning 
out  and  patching  up  the  vaults  and  the  sewers. 
It  is  a  particularly  difficult  problem  at  Rheims, 
where  there  are  now  over  thirty  thousand  peo- 
ple living  in  the  ruins. 

One  of  the  worst  problems  of  all  is  that  of 
the  mosquitos.  Every  shell-hole,  every  trench, 
is  a  breeding-place  for  these  insects,  even  the 
deadly  malaria  mosquito.  The  condition  is  an 
extremely  hard  one  to  remedy  on  account  of 
the  extent  of  the  problem,  but  the  trenches  and 
shell-holes  are  rapidly  being  filled  in  and  in 
other  breeding-places  kerosene  is  being  put  to 
destroy  the  pest. 

A  great  deal  of  medical  work  is  necessary 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  91 

to  take  care  of  the  urgent  cases — either  those 
persons  who  have  fallen  sick  suddenly,  or  those 
who  have  been  wounded  by  exploding  muni- 
tions. And  so  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Re- 
gions has  been  trying  to  organize  a  dispensary 
and  a  hospital  in  each  of  the  larger  centers,  and 
is  encouraging  in  every  way  possible  the  pro- 
vision of  traveling  dispensaries  to  serve  the 
devastated  towns.  Physicians  demobilized 
from  the  army  are  encouraged  to  go  at  once 
to  the  devastated  regions  to  help  out  there. 
Meanwhile  the  various  relief  societies  have  sent 
many  doctors  and  nurses  there. 

When  a  refugee  gets  back  into  the  devas- 
tated regions  and  finds  that  he  needs  help  of 
some  sort,  he  goes  to  the  mayor  of  his  com- 
mune ;  or  if  the  mayor  is  not  yet  back,  he  goes 
to  the  souS'prefet  or  even  to  the  prefet,  and 
makes  his  requests.  The  prefet,  in  collabora- 
tion with  the  secretary-general  of  the  depart- 
ment, takes  the  case  up  with  the  proper  ser- 
vice of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions,  and 
any  matter  of  immediate  relief  that  is  recom- 
mended by  the  prefet  is  taken  care  of  as  soon 
as  possible  by  the  various  services  of  the  Min- 
istry of  Liberated  Regions,  at  no  cost  to  the 


92  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

applicant.  Very  often,  where  the  Government 
cannot  at  once  give  the  help  needed,  a  local  so- 
ciety, or  one  of  the  large  general  relief  so- 
cieties, comes  to  the  rescue.  There  always 
seems  to  be  a  good  understanding  between  the 
Government  and  the  private  relief  groups. 

In  July,  1919,  I  found  that  at  the  great  re- 
lief warehouses  of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated 
Regions  at  Rheims  over  four  thousand  new 
refugees  were  being  fitted  out  every  month. 
The  enormous  stock  of  furniture,  bedding, 
stoves,  cloths,  food,  implements,  etc.,  was 
turned  over  every  two  weeks.  The  refugees 
bought  at  lowest  wholesale  cost  whatever  they 
needed,  but  they  paid  no  cash,  as  the  value  was 
simply  deducted  from  their  eventual  indem- 
nity. Every  applicant  was  carefully  investi- 
gated and  followed  up. 

It  remains  only  to  be  seen  how  the  State 
takes  care  of  the  demobilized  soldiers  in  the 
devastated  regions.  In  the  first  place,  the 
government  allowances  for  the  soldier's  fam- 
ily continue  for  six  months  after  demobihza- 
tion,  but  in  decreasing  amounts  during  the 
period;  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  demobilized 
man  cannot  get  work  he  is  entitled,  as  head  of 


^^-^: 


A  HOME-MADE  HOME  AT  ESMERY  HALLON,   SOMME 


THE    ONLY    TWO    HOMES    IN    NIEUPORT    IN    APRIL,    1919 


X)<2,c.:iotb.  1918 


PUBLIC  RELIEF  M 

the  household,  to  an  out-of-work  allowance  of 
2  fr.  25  a  day,  with  1  fr.  a  day  for  his  wife,  1  fr, 
for  each  child  over  sixteen  years  of  age  out  of 
work,  and  0  fr.  75  for  his  father  or  his  mother 
out  of  work. 

If  a  demobilized  man  owned  any  property 
he  was  excused  from  the  payment  of  interest 
and  taxes  during  the  war  and  for  six  months 
after.  If  he  rents  property,  he  gets  special 
rates  or  a  complete  exemption  from  rent.  All 
leases  are  automatically  extended,  where  de- 
sired, for  a  period  equal  to  the  length  of  the 
war.  If  a  demobilized  man  is  a  landlord  and 
his  tenants  cannot  pay,  he  can  himself  secure 
an  indemnity  from  the  State. 

Moreover,  the  State  conducts  an  employ- 
ment bureau  for  demobilized  men,  and  gives 
in  cash  to  each  demobilized  man  250  francs ;  in 
addition  to  this  he  receives  from  15  to  20  francs 
for  each  month  of  service ;  and  52  francs  more 
is  allowed  for  clothes. 

Maimed  soldiers  are  well  taken  care  of  by 
a  special  bureau  of  the  Government.  The 
Government  has  organized  re-education 
schools  all  over  France  that  are  re-educating 
thirty  thousand  maimed  soldiers  at  a  time.     In 


94  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

addition  there  are  private  schools,  most  of  them 
in  Paris,  that  are  taking  care  of  about  three 
thousand  more.  These  schools  fit  a  man  to 
earn  an  independent  economic  livelihood  ac- 
cording to  what  he  was  best  fitted  for  before 
the  war.  Attendance  on  them  is  optional,  but 
there  is  a  waiting-list  in  most  of  them. 
Maimed  soldiers  returning  to  the  devastated 
regions  can  learn  free  of  charge  in  these  schools 
a  useful  occupation  in  agriculture  or  trade, 
which  will  make  him  a  helpful  economic  factor 
in  the  reconstitution  of  the  region. 


CHAPTER  V 

PEIYATE   RELIEF 

From  the  first  days  of  the  war  there  has  been 
a  great  outpouring  of  sympathy  for  the  vic- 
tims, and  every  one  has  been  more  than  wiUing 
to  turn  to  and  help  to  the  best  of  his  abihty. 
Individuals  and  societies  representing  all  of 
the  allies  and  most  of  the  neutrals  have  given 
freely  of  their  money  and  personal  help. 

From  the  very  beginning  the  three  societies 
of  the  French  Red  Cross  and  various  other 
French  groups  have  been  working  with  the 
refugees  who  were  driven  back  by  the  German 
advance.  But  it  was  not  until  the  spring  of 
1917,  when  the  Germans  were  driven  back  in 
the  Somme,  the  Aisne,  and  the  Oise,  uncov- 
ering the  hundreds  of  towns  and  villages  which 
they  had  wilfully  destroyed,  that  the  real  pio- 
neer relief  work  began.  Previous  to  that  time, 
perhaps  the  biggest  work  done  by  any  one  so- 
ciety was  the  achievement  of  the  English  So- 

95 


96  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

ciety  of  Friends  in  the  Meuse  and  the  Marne, 
especially  east  of  Vitry-le-Fran9ois  in  the  vil- 
lages destroyed  in  the  first  Battle  of  the  Marne. 

From  the  spring  of  1917  to  the  spring  of 
1918,  almost  all  of  the  interest  was  concen- 
trated in  the  newly  released  region  where  the 
refugees  were  struggling  to  get  back.  By  the 
time  of  the  great  German  advance  in  March, 
1918,  there  were  already,  according  to  the  of- 
ficial list  of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions, 
fourteen  societies  doing  general  relief  work  in 
the  devastated  regions,  and  twelve  societies  and 
at  least  eleven  more  private  groups  doing  re- 
lief work  in  particular  localities. 

L'Aisne  Devastee  was  giving  relief  any- 
where in  the  department  of  the  Aisne. 

The  American  Relief  Clearing  House, 
which  was  taken  over  by  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  June,  1917,  was  giving  supplies  to 
societies  that  were  working  locally. 

The  Canadian  Red  Cross  was  distributing 
supplies  generally. 

L'CEuvre  des  Colonies  de  Vacances  de  la 
Chaussee  du  Maine  was  distributing  supplies 
where  they  could  be  best  used. 

La  Provence  pour  le  Nord,  especiaUy  the 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  97 

Marseilles  Committee,  sent  plants  to  be  used 
in  gardens  in  the  North. 

La  Societe  des  Agriculteurs  de  France  dis- 
tributed seeds,  fertilizer,  and  agricultural  tools 
and  machines. 

The  Students'  Atelier  Reunions,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Shurtleff,  did 
general  relief  work. 

Le  Comite  de  I'Aisne,  with  M.  Gabriel 
Hanotaux  as  president,  distributed  relief  in 
general  in  the  Aisne. 

Le  Comite  de  Compiegne  was  particularly 
interested  in  the  department  of  the  Oise. 

Le  Comite  des  Communes  Liberees  de 
rOise,  with  Senateur  Noel,  the  Mayor  of 
Noyon,  as  president,  was  particularly  active 
in  the  region  around  Noyon. 

Le  Comite  du  Secours  National  helped  all  of 
the  various  other  societies. 

Small  groups  organized  by  Madame  de 
Cosse-Brissac  and  Monsieur  Holman-Black, 
and  by  Madame  Thibaut,  did  general  relief 
work. 

More  particularly,  The  American  Fund  for 
French  Wounded  (Comite  Civil),  under  the 
direction  of  Miss  Morgan  and  Mrs.  Dike,  took 


m  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

care  of  the  region  around  Blerancourt  in  the 
Aisne. 

The  Smith  College  Relief  Unit  took  care 
of  fifteen  villages  between  Ham  and  Nesle  in 
the  Somme,  with  their  headquarters  at  Gre- 
court. 

The  American  Red  Cross  repaired  thirty- 
five  or  forty  buildings  in  five  villages  in  the 
Somme,  northeast  of  Nesle,  and  did  general 
relief  work  throughout  the  whole  region. 

The  French  Wounded  Emergency  Fund,  in 
collaboration  with  the  British  Red  Cross,  took 
care  of  nineteen  villages  in  the  Somme,  be- 
tween Peronne  and  Ham. 

The  British  Society  of  Friends  put  up  their 
barracks  in  five  villages  west  of  Ham,  and 
repaired  houses  in  several  villages  north  of 
Roye. 

Le  Comite  Central  Americain  and  L'aide 
Immediate,  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Dur- 
yea,  took  care  of  all  of  the  villages  in  the  can- 
ton of  Roye. 

L'Assistance  aux  Depots  d'Ecloppes,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Madame  Odier  and  Made- 
moiselle Javal,  looked  after  a  number  of  vil- 
lages in  the  western  sector  of  the  Sonrnie. 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  99 

Le  Village  Reconstitue,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Monsieur  d'Eichtal  and  Monsieur 
Letrosne,  organized  dispensaries  at  Noyon, 
Bailly,  Lassigny,  and  Ribecourt,  in  the  Oise. 

La  Renaissance  des  Foyers  Devastes  par  la 
Guerre,  with  Madame  St.  Rene-Taillandier 
as  president,  looked  after  fifteen  villages  in 
the  Oise,  between  Noyon  and  Roye. 

Le  Secretariat  Fran9ais  des  Villages 
Liberes,  with  Madame  Moreau  as  president, 
was  especially  interested  in  Chiry-Ourscamps 
in  the  Oise. 

L'Union  des  Femmes  de  France,  with 
Madame  Perouse  as  president,  and  with  Mon- 
sieur Verne  in  charge,  took  care  of  Nesle  and 
nine  villages  near  it. 

Madame  de  Ste.  Aldegonde  took  care  of 
Villequier-Aimiont  in  the  Aisne;  Madame 
Brincard,  of  Bethancourt  in  the  Aisne;  Mad- 
ame de  Chabannes-la-Pallice,  of  Maucourt 
and  Quesmy  in  the  Oise;  Madame  d'Escayrac, 
of  Passel  in  the  Oise;  Madame  d'Evry,  of 
Nampoel  in  the  Oise ;  Madame  Jacques  Faure, 
of  Baboeuf,  took  care  of  Grandru,  Baboeuf, 
and  Appilly  in  the  Oise,  and  of  Neuflieux, 
Caimiont,   and   Commenchon  in  the  Aisne; 


100  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Madame  Geoff  ray,  of  Manicamp  in  the  Aisne ; 
Madame  Getting,  of  Larbroye  in  the  Oise; 
Madame  de  Langlade,  of  Cuts  and  Caisnes  in 
the  Oise ;  Madame  Lef  evre,  of  Mondescourt  in 
the  Oise;  and  Monsieur  and  Madame  Lu- 
ehaire,  of  Marest-Dampcourt  in  the  Aisne. 

In  fact,  in  almost  every  one  of  the  devastated 
villages  where  twenty  or  more  people  had  re- 
turned, there  was  a  relief  society  to  help  them 
with  food,  clothing,  furniture,  bedding,  uten- 
sils, tools,  agricultural  implements,  farm  ani- 
mals— ^in  short,  with  everything  the  refugees 
needed  to  help  them  get  back  on  their  feet. 
Almost  all  of  these  societies  stayed  right  on  the 
spot  during  the  winter  of  1917-18,  despite  the 
fact  that  it  was  one  of  the  coldest  and  most 
disagreeable  winters  that  there  had  been  for 
some  time.  Almost  all  of  them  were  there  in 
March,  1918,  to  help  the  refugees  evacuate 
when  the  Germans  were  advancing  so  rapidly. 
One  and  all  they  did  a  splendid  and  devoted 
work. 

From  the  end  of  March,  1918,  until  August, 
or  rather  September,  1918,  no  refugee  could 
get  back  into  the  devastated  regions,  except  of 
course  for  the  small  devastated  area  in  the 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  lOY 

Marne,  the  Meuse,  and  the  Meurthe-et-Mo- 
selle,  where  the  first  Battle  of  the  Marne  had 
taken  place.  In  September  refugees  began  to 
come  back,  but  very  slowly  at  first,  and  it 
really  was  not  until  some  little  time  after  the 
armistice  that  the  people  began  to  arrive  in  any 
appreciable  numbers.  Some  of  the  relief  so- 
cieties disappeared,  but  others  followed  the 
people,  although  during  the  winter  of  1918-19 
very  little  relief  work  was  done.  The  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  started  shortly  after  the  armis- 
tice helping  the  returning  prisoners  as  they 
came  back  through  the  liberated  regions,  and 
around  the  first  of  January  they  started  their 
wholesale  relief  work  from  Belgium  down  to 
Alsace.  The  American  Committee  for  dev- 
astated France  started  first  at  Chateau- 
Thierry,  later  moved  up  to  Vic-sur-Aisne,  and 
then  back  to  its  old  quarters  at  Blerancourt. 
The  Smith  College  Relief  Unit  started  in  again 
the  first  of  January,  at  its  old  headquarters  at 
Grecourt.  The  British  Friends'  Mission 
started  in  in  September,  1918,  repairing  houses 
and  putting  up  their  portable  huts  from  Cha- 
teau-Thierry to  Rheims ;  in  the  spring  of  1919 
they  went  back  to  their  old  region,  near  Ham 


102  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

and  Roye.  The  Belgian  Relief  Commission 
put  up  in  the  North  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
large  barracks  with  labor  from  the  United 
States  Naval  Reserve  Corps.  Meanwhile,  to- 
gether with  the  British  and  French  armies  and 
the  chambers  of  commerce,  it  fed  nearly  two 
million  people  in  the  liberated  regions  until 
the  French  Government  could  build  up  its  own 
machinery  for  handling  the  problem. 

Most  of  the  relief  societies  that  we  are  de- 
scribing here  are  American.  That  is  only  be- 
cause I  happen  to  know  more  intimately  what 
they  are  doing  than  I  do  about  the  French 
societies.  We  must  not  go  away  with  the  idea 
that  America  is  doing  it  all:  far  from  it.  At 
best  we  are  doing  only  a  small  part  of  what  is 
being  accomplished.  All  honor  must  be  given 
to  such  French  societies  as  the  Secours  Na- 
tional, le  Secours  d'Urgence,  I'Aisne  Devastee, 
le  Pas  de  Calais  Devaste,  the  three  societies  of 
the  French  Red  Cross,  and  many  others  for  the 
wonderful  work  they  are  doing. 

The  best  way  to  get  an  idea  of  how  private 
relief  work  was  carried  on,  is  to  take  up  the 
work  of  a  few  special  organizations.  The 
first  foreign  society  in  the  field  on  the  French 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  103 

side  of  the  line  was  the  British  Society  of 
Friends  who  came  to  France  early  in  the 
autumn  of  1914  and  started  right  in  doing 
urgent  relief  work  similar  to  that  which  they 
had  done  in  France  during  the  War  of  1870. 
They  installed  themselves  first  in  the  Marne 
and  the  Meuse,  along  the  line  of  the  Battle  of 
the  Marne,  especially  in  the  charming  little  old 
towns  of  Sermaize-les-Bains,  Pargny,  Heiltz- 
le-Maurupt,  Revigny,  and  many  other  villages 
between  Bar-le-Duc  and  Vitry-le-Fran9ois. 
As  the  former  inhabitants  returned  to  these  vil- 
lages after  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  the 
Friends,  both  men  and  women,  helped  them  in 
every  way  that  they  could.  Up  to  the  time 
of  the  German  offensive  in  March,  1917,  they 
had  helped  nearly  12,000  families,  or  about 
35,000  people  in  282  different  villages.  They 
had  put  up  500  temporary  houses  and  27 
barns.  They  had  distributed  some  12,000 
packages  of  clothes  and  as  many  more  pack- 
ages of  bedding;  also  nearly  5,000  articles  of 
furniture.  In  addition  they  had  distributed 
about  125,000  francs'  worth  of  seeds,  fertilizer, 
and  farming-machines  and  tools,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  1,200  chickens  and  rabbits. 


104  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

In  Sermaize  and  Pargny  they  constructed 
whole  villages  of  brick,  enough  for  thirty  or 
forty  families  in  each  case,  with  a  charming 
little  garden  behind  each  house.  They  went 
into  the  business  of  building  barracks  on  a  con- 
siderable scale,  establishing  a  saw-mill  and 
shops  at  Ornans  and  Dole  in  the  Jura;  and 
wherever  they  found  a  refugee  family  living  in 
a  cellar  for  lack  of  better  lodgings,  they  would 
set  up  one  of  their  portable  houses  with  two  or 
three  rooms  and  a  shed.  The  French  Govern- 
ment supplied  them  with  the  material,  but  they 
furnished  all  of  the  labor  themselves. 

They  started  schools  for  the  children  and  a 
cottage  hospital  at  Sermaize-les-Bains,  and 
sent  out  their  doctors  and  district  nurses  wher- 
ever there  were  no  French  doctors  available. 
They  estabhshed  a  children's  convalescent 
home  at  the  Chateau  de  Bettancourt,  in  the 
Marne.  It  was  of  the  greatest  help  to  invalid 
children.  But  probably  the  thing  that  was 
most  appreciated  was  their  maternity  hospital 
at  Chalons-sur-Marne,  where  up  to  the  signing 
of  the  armistice  over  a  thousand  children  were 
born. 

After  the  German  offensive  in  1918  the 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  105 

Friends  worked  with  the  refugees  in  a  number 
of  places  throughout  the  interior  of  France, 
and  put  up  their  barracks  wherever  the  French 
Government  felt  they  were  most  needed. 

When  the  Germans  were  pushed  back  in  the 
summer  of  1918,  they  followed  right  back  into 
the  district  between  Chateau-Thierry  and 
Rheims,  and  did  splendid  relief  work  similar  to 
that  which  they  had  done  in  the  Marne  and 
the  Meuse  a  few  years  before.  They  put  up 
several  hundred  of  their  barracks  and  repaired 
a  number  of  houses  in  the  vicinity  of  Chateau- 
Thierry. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  summer  of  1917,  the 
American  Friends'  Mission,  which  was  con- 
nected with  the  American  Red  Cross,  joined 
forces  with  the  British  Society  of  Friends  and 
the  two  combined  soon  had  nearly  six  hundred 
active  workers.  The  help  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  with  supplies  and  transportation, 
made  it  possible  for  them  considerably  to  ex- 
tend their  field  of  usefulness. 

On  October  3, 1918,  the  Sous-Prefet  of  Ver- 
dun formally  asked  the  Anglo-American 
Friends'  Mission  if  they  would  take  over  all  of 
the  relief  work  for  the  returning  refugees  in 


106  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

the  whole  district  to  the  west  of  Verdun. 
This  is  a  charming  agricultural  country,  now 
almost  completely  destroyed,  as  for  the  better 
part  of  four  years  it  was  the  battle-ground  first 
of  the  French  and  later  of  the  Americans. 
The  district  runs  nearly  over  to  Sainte-Mene- 
hould,  and  includes  part  of  the  forest  of  the 
Argonne  and  the  famous  towns  of  Clermont- 
en-Argonne  and  Varennes-en- Argonne,  run- 
ning almost  up  to  Montfaucon.  There  are 
some  sixty  villages  in  the  district. 

They  took  it  over  as  soon  as  they  could  and 
called  in  their  forces  from  other  parts  of  the 
devastated  regions,  so  that  before  long  they 
had  nearly  five  hundred  men  and  women  at 
work  in  these  villages.  When  I  visited  them 
there  in  April,  1919,  they  were  fully  installed 
in  a  big  French  farm  group,  the  owner  of 
which  had  run  away  to  Switzerland  at  the  out- 
break of  the  war.  There  were  a  hundred  and 
thirty  Friends  living  in  barracks  which  they 
had  inherited  from  a  camouflage  section  of  the 
French  Army,  and  all  the  barns  were  full  of 
supplies  which  they  were  giving  or  selling  to 
the  refugees.  There  were  a  number  of  big 
camions  in  the  yard  which  had  been  loaned 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  lOT 

them  by  the  American  Army,  and  even  about 
twenty  side-cars  which  the  American  Army 
had  let  them  have.  They  had  tractors  and  all 
kinds  of  agricultural  machinery,  everything 
necessary  to  help  get  the  fields  back  under  cul- 
tivation. 

About  one  hundred  men  were  busy  erecting 
portable  houses.  I  went  to  the  little  town  of 
Neuvilly,  where  they  were  putting  up  about 
fift5^-two  of  their  huts  at  the  particular  request 
of  the  mayor.  I  asked  to  meet  Mayor  Jacque- 
man  and  found  him  living  in  a  little  two-room 
portable  house ;  the  kitchen  table  was  spread 
with  papers  and  books  on  which  he  was  con- 
ducting unaided  the  whole  official  business  of 
the  town.  He  told  me  that  he  decided  who 
should  have  the  portable  houses  and  he  was 
very  careful  to  see  that  no  one  who  had  any 
amount  of  money  of  his  own  should  get  one. 
About  half  of  the  houses  were  on  private  prop- 
erty and  the  rest  on  public  land.  Wherever 
possible  a  rent  of  112  francs  a  year  was 
charged  for  the  house.  When  people  could 
not  afford  to  pay,  their  rent  was  remitted. 

In  June,  1919,  the  Friends  were  putting  up 
barracks  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  a  week,  and 


108         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

in  all  they  had  erected  up  to  that  time  in  the 
Marne,  the  Meuse,  the  Aisne,  and  the  Somme, 
nearly  nine  hundred  houses,  enough  to  house 
over  three  thousand  persons.  During  the 
same  time  they  had  repaired  about  eight  hun- 
dred houses,  enough  to  take  care  of  another 
three  thousand  persons ;  all  of  this  in  addition 
to  the  work  they  had  done  on  stables  and  barns. 

As  the  American  Army  moved  out  of  the 
district,  the  Friends  bought  up  five  dumps, 
which  gave  them  a  quantity  of  material  for 
distribution.  They  are  now  gradually  turning 
their  attention  from  relief  work  to  more  per- 
manent social-welfare  work  and  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  members  will  continue  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1919-20  helping  the  return- 
ing refugees  through  the  trying  period. 

The  civilian  division  of  the  American  Fund 
for  French  Wounded  started  work  in  the 
devastated  region  of  the  Aisne,  with  a  center 
at  Blerancourt,  very  shortly  after  the  Germans 
were  pushed  back  in  the  spring  of  1917.  It 
did  a  great  deal  of  most  useful  relief  work  in 
about  twenty  of  the  surrounding  villages.  It 
gave  people  food,  clothing,  furniture,  house- 
hold  utensils,    farming-implements — in   fact, 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  109 

everything  needed  to  set  up  life  again.  Its 
doctors  and  nurses  found  an  unlimited  amount 
to  do. 

In  April,  1918,  the  civilian  division  was  in- 
corporated as  a  separate  body  called  The 
American  Committee  for  Devastated  France. 
However,  it  could  not  go  back  to  the  devas- 
tated regions  at  that  time,  as  they  were  all 
occupied  by  the  Germans,  so  it  looked  up  the 
refugees  from  its  own  villages  around  Bleran- 
court,  wherever  they  happened  to  be  in  the  in- 
terior of  France,  and  gave  them  such  care  as 
it  could. 

As  soon  as  the  Germans  were  driven  back 
around  Chateau-Thierry  in  July  and  August, 
1918,  the  committee  established  itself  in  Cha- 
teau-Thierry 'and  started  relief  work  in  the 
neighborhood.  As  the  Germans  were  driven 
farther  back  the  workers  followed  after  them, 
first  taking  up  their  quarters  in  Vic-sur-Aisne, 
and  finally  moving  back  to  Blerancourt.  The 
committee  then  took  over  the  relief  work  of 
about  one  hundred  villages  in  the  Aisne,  with 
centers  at  Vic-sur-Aisne,  Blerancourt,  and 
Soissons.  It  has  given  about  seventy-five 
thousand  fruit-trees  to  the  natives  and  about  a 


110         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

million  vegetable  plants.  It  did  a  particularly 
active  work  in  two  hundred  villages  in  the 
Aisne  in  helping  the  Hoover  commission  dis- 
tribute food  and  clothing. 

Its  chief  work  to-day  is  helping  the  return- 
ing refugees  to  get  back  on  a  normal  basis.  It 
is  giving  French  shopkeepers  a  start  wherever 
they  are  ready  to  begin.  It  is  selling  tools, 
animals,  and  seeds  to  any  farmer  ready  to  keep 
on  once  he  can  be  given  the  initial  start.  It  is 
helping  building-workmen  get  under  way  by 
furnishing  them  with  tools  and  materials  and 
by  providing  a  work-shop  with  machinery 
where  they  can  turn  out  doors,  windows,  furni- 
ture, and  hardware.  Aside  from  its  regular 
medical  and  nursing  visiting  service,  it  is  col- 
laborating with  the  American  Women's  Hos- 
pitals. It  has  established  an  emergency  hos- 
pital center  at  Blerancourt.  In  addition  it  is 
helping  in  the  forming  of  reconstruction  co- 
operative societies  and  agricultural  syndicates. 

The  Smith  College  Relief  Unit,  with  sixteen 
members,  arrived  in  France  in  August,  1917, 
to  do  rehabilitation  work  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions. Until  January,  1918,  it  worked  in  co- 
operation with  the  American  Fund  for  French 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  111 

Wounded.  In  January,  1918,  it  became  affil- 
iated with  the  American  Red  Cross.  Since 
January  of  1919  it  has  been  working  indepen- 
dently. 

In  September,  1917,  at  the  request  of  the 
French  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  the  unit  took 
charge  of  fifteen  villages  in  the  Somme,  with 
headquarters  in  the  charming  grounds  of  the 
chateau  at  Grecourt  which  was  destroyed  by 
the  Germans.  All  during  the  winter  of  1917- 
18  it  did  most  effective  relief  work  for  the  refu- 
gees that  had  returned  into  the  devastated  vil- 
lages. Its  workers  lived  with  their  people  and 
knew  them  all  intimately,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  their  care  and  personal  attention  meant 
everything  to  the  health  and  personal  comfort 
of  the  villagers  during  that  trying  winter. 

The  members  of  the  unit  lived  themselves  in 
tents  or  flimsy  wooden  barracks  throughout  all 
the  storms  and  freezing  weather,  their  only 
heat  being  furnished  by  little  camp  stoves  in 
which  they  burned  such  green  wood  as  they 
could  find  in  the  neighborhood.  Their  devo- 
tion endeared  them  greatly  to  the  refugees. 

At  the  end  of  March,  1918,  in  the  great  Ger- 
man offensive,  the  Smith  Unit  women  stayed 


112         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

until  the  last  moment,  helping  the  refugees  to 
get  away  and  serving  hot  chocolate  and  food  to 
the  worn-out  British  soldiers  that  kept  pour- 
ing through  their  place,  until  finally  at  about 
four  o'clock  one  morning  a  British  officer  rode 
up  and  told  them  that  the  German  machine- 
guns  were  only  a  few  miles  down  the  road. 
Their  auto-trucks  were  ready  and  they  left  all 
of  their  barracks  and  stores  behind,  asking  the 
British  to  burn  them  so  that  they  could  not  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  Germans.  Then  they 
picked  up  all  of  the  French  refugees  that  were 
left  and  went  to  Montdidier,  only  to  be  chased 
out  of  that  city,  and  so  on  to  Amiens.  Mean- 
while they  were  making  constant  trips  back 
and  forth,  evacuating  the  refugees.  At  every 
stopping-place  they  set  up  a  canteen  to  feed  the 
hungry  people  as  they  poured  through. 

From  then  until  the  first  of  January,  1919, 
they  worked  continuously  with  the  American 
Red  Cross,  organizing  canteens  and  doing 
hospital  work  for  the  American  soldiers.  But 
at  Christmas-time  in  1918  they  returned  to 
their  former  villages  in  the  Somme  and  found 
that  about  three  hundred  people  had  already 
come  back  and  were  living  in  misery  because 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  118 

now  the  villages  were  completely  destroyed. 
I  went  back  with  them  on  New  Year's  Day  in 
1919,  when  they  distributed  four  truck-loads  of 
food,  clothing,  and  utensils  to  the  refugees  who 
had  returned  for  a  second  time.  I  shall  never 
forget  how  glad  the  villagers  were  to  see  them, 
nor  how  grateful  the  people  were  for  the  help 
and  the  knowledge  that  the  unit  was  coming 
back  to  live  among  them.  Everything  seemed 
hopeless  in  that  region,  where  not  a  building 
was  habitable  and  where  most  of  the  country 
looked  as  though  a  battle  had  just  taken  place. 
Except  that  almost  all  of  the  bodies  had  been 
buried,  nothing  seemed  to  have  been  picked  up. 
In  the  unending  cold  and  sleet  of  the  winter 
the  situation  was  most  disheartening.  The  re- 
turn of  the  Smith  Unit  was  the  one  thing  that 
could  have  helped  the  morale  of  the  peasants. 
Its  members  settled  down  again  in  Grecourt 
in  January,  just  as  soon  as  the  French  Army 
could  put  up  some  barracks  for  them. 

They  divide  their  work  into  visiting,  agricul- 
tural work,  stores,  children's,  and  medical  de- 
partments. In  the  visiting  department  they 
have  three  trained  social-service  workers,  each 
of  whom  is  responsible  for  five  or  six  villages ; 


114         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

they  go  from  home  to  home,  investigate  every 
ease  where  help  is  asked,  report  to  the  unit's 
doctor  and  nurse  every  case  of  sickness  and 
then  do  follow-up  work  under  the  direction  of 
the  medical  department.  They  know  all  the 
people  and  everything  about  them  and  so  can 
give  the  most  intelligent  kind  of  help.  Of 
course  a  detailed  card-catalogue  is  kept  of  all 
of  the  cases. 

As  most  of  the  villagers  are  farmers,  the  ag- 
ricultural department  is  of  the  greatest  use. 
They  have  brought  in  and  sold  about  a  hun- 
dred cows  and  many  hundred  chickens,  rabbits, 
and  pigs ;  also  farm  implements,  seed-potatoes, 
and  vegetable  seeds.  All  of  these  they  sold  in 
the  beginning  at  half-cost,  but  now  they  are 
selling  at  about  cost  so  as  not  to  compete  with 
the  local  merchants  who  are  getting  reestab- 
lished. They  even  have  a  tractor  which  they 
are  renting  at  a  reasonable  price  to  neighbor- 
ing farmers.  They  keep  eight  cows  and  sell 
the  milk  to  sick  people  and  little  children  at 
six  sous  a  liter.  They  are  providing  fruit-trees 
to  take  the  place  of  all  of  those  cut  down  by  the 
Germans. 

Their  store,  and  especially  their  traveling 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  115 

stores,  have  been  most  popular.  When  their 
big  truck,  looking  like  a  Yankee  peddler's 
cart,  drives  into  a  village,  the  whole  town — 
men,  women,  and  children — come  out  of  their 
cellars,  their  lean-tos,  or  their  barracks,  if 
they  are  lucky  enough  to  have  them,  and  crowd 
around  it;  it  is  just  like  a  village  fair.  They 
take  the  greatest  care  in  choosing  the  pat- 
tern of  their  dress  material.  Incidentally  the 
store  receipts  for  the  month  of  March,  1919, 
were  10,731  fr.  90.  But  what  they  are  partic- 
ularly trying  to  do  is  to  help  the  shopkeepers 
in  the  various  villages  to  get  started  in  business 
again.  The  unit  sells  them  supplies  at  cost 
and  fixes  the  price  at  which  they  may  re-sell. 
It  hopes  very  shortly  to  turn  all  of  its  store 
business  over  to  them. 

The  imit  has  made  a  great  feature  of  its 
work  among  the  several  hundred  children  that 
have  already  come  back.  Until  very  recently 
no  schools  had  been  started,  despite  the  fact 
that  many  teachers  had  returned,  because  there 
was  no  place  in  which  to  hold  classes.  How- 
ever, by  the  first  of  July  several  schools  had 
been  opened.  In  the  meantime  the  Smith 
Unit  workers  were  teaching  the  children  out- 


lie        OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

door  games  and  recreation,  and  were  trying  to 
bring  back  the  native  songs  and  dances.  They 
are  establishing  a  library  of  children's  books 
which  they  are  lending  through  the  school- 
teachers, first  in  one  village  and  then  in  an- 
other. At  the  same  time  they  have  been  buy- 
ing maps,  charts,  blackboards,  and  other  school 
supplies,  so  that  the  schools  could  start  as  soon 
as  a  place  was  available. 

The  Smith  Unit's  doctor  and  nurse  have  al- 
ways been  most  popular,  especially  as  there  has 
been  no  French  doctor  or  nurse  available  near 
by.  The  unit  has  a  dispensary  at  Grecourt 
which  is  busy  at  all  hours,  and  the  doctor  and 
nurse  make  a  regular  round  of  visits  in  the  vil- 
lages. More  than  one  child's  life  has  been 
saved  by  their  untiring  care.  Older  people 
as  well  as  children  from  time  to  time  are 
wounded  by  exploding  ammunition.  Now  the 
medical  service  is  making  a  sanitary  survey  of 
all  the  villages;  it  is  having  the  wells  cleaned 
and  is  following  up  carefully  the  matters  of 
sewage-disposal,  manure  piles,  flies,  etc. 

The  character  of  the  unit's  work  is  necessar- 
ily changing  all  the  time,  as  living  conditions 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  117 

return  to  a  more  normal  basis.  Emergency 
relief  work  is  no  longer  as  necessary  as  it  was. 
Local  stores  are  being  established  everywhere. 
A  large  part  of  the  area  is  now  back  under 
cultivation.  The  portable  houses  are  begin- 
ning to  arrive  and  everything  that  can  be  re- 
paired is  being  made  habitable.  The  big  need 
of  the  future,  the  greatest  usefulness  of  a 
group  like  the  Smith  College  Relief  Unit,  is  to 
leave  a  permanent  heritage  in  the  land,  to  give 
the  local  leaders  the  benefit  of  their  training 
and  experience  in  health  and  social-welfare 
work.  To  that  end  the  workers  are  now  tak- 
ing in  as  collaborators  French  nurses  who  will 
carry  on  their  medical  and  sanitary  work  after 
the  unit  leaves ;  and  they  are  starting  commun- 
ity social  centers,  about  which  will  be  grouped 
all  that  is  necessary  for  the  social  well-being  of 
the  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. At  the  same  time  they  are  helping  the 
peasants  in  their  relations  with  the  authorities 
in  all  matters  that  have  to  do  with  reconstruc- 
tion, including  the  founding  of  reconstruction 
cooperative  societies  and  agricultural  syndi- 
cates.    Theirs  is  a  splendid  constructive  pro- 


118         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

gram,  one  that  could  well  be  repeated  through- 
out the  devastated  regions ;  a  program  most  ap- 
preciated by  the  French  Government. 

All  during  the  first  years  of  the  war  the 
American  Relief  Clearing  House  supplied 
many  French  and  American  relief  societies 
with  money,  food,  clothing,  and  other  things 
that  had  been  sent  from  America.  Most  of 
this,  to  be  sure,  went  for  military  relief  pur- 
poses, but  a  certain  amount  went  to  help  the 
refugees. 

When  the  American  Red  Cross  arrived  in 
France  in  June,  1917,  it  took  over  the  Ameri- 
can Relief  Clearing  House  and  all  of  its  obK- 
gations,  and  then  proceeded  to  broaden  its  field, 
helping  any  worthy  relief  society.  Owing  to 
the  retreat  of  the  Germans  in  the  spring  of 
1917,  and  the  number  of  French  and  Allied  re- 
lief societies  that  had  gone  into  the  Somme,  the 
Aisne,  and  the  Oise,  to  take  care  of  the  return- 
ing refugees,  the  American  Red  Cross  had  a 
splendid  opportunity  to  use  its  money  and  sup- 
plies to  excellent  advantage  by  working 
through  these  groups.  It  undertook  virtually 
no  direct  distribution  to  the  refugees. 

However,  it  did  try  out  an  experiment  in 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  119 

reconstruction  in  five  villages  of  the  Somme. 
From  October,  1917,  until  they  were  driven 
out  by  the  Germans  in  March,  1918,  from 
twelve  to  sixty  French  workmen  repaired 
about  forty  houses  and  barns,  all  of  which  were 
destroyed  again  by  the  Germans  before  they 
were  driven  out  in  the  summer  of  1918. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1918  the 
American  Red  Cross  work  with  French  civil- 
ians was  most  active  in  the  interior  of  France, 
where  the  society  organized  a  relief  service  in 
each  one  of  the  seventy  or  more  departments. 

Soon  after  the  armistice  the  American  Red 
Cross  established  several  canteens  and  relief 
stations  at  Rheims,  St.  Quentin,  Mezieres,  and 
elsewhere,  to  take  care  of  the  French  military 
prisoners  and  civilians  released  from  Germany. 
By  the  end  of  the  year  it  had  effected  a  vast 
organization  for  wholesale  relief,  from  Bel- 
gium all  the  way  down  to  Alsace.  Six  dis- 
tricts were  created  in  France,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Lille,  Amiens,  Laon,  Mezieres,  Chalons- 
sur-Marne,  and  Verdun,  and  a  seventh  district 
in  Belgium,  with  warehouses  at  Bruges,  Adin- 
kerke,  and  Courtrai.  At  each  of  the  French 
centers  a  huge  warehouse  was  installed,  each 


120         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

surrounded  by  smaller  distributing  centers. 
Each  of  these  warehouses  was  stocked  with 
clothing,  furnishings,  dry-goods,  beds,  bedding, 
and  furniture,  some  tools  and  agricultural  im- 
plements, about  two  hundred  barracks  in  all, 
and  a  certain  small  amount  of  food.  These 
goods  were  given  by  the  American  Red  Cross 
to  local  committees  or  societies,  which  sold  the 
supplies  at  a  reasonable  price  to  the  refugees. 
When  no  local  society  existed,  the  local  dis- 
tribution was  undertaken  by  the  mayor  and 
his  helpers.  There  were  in  June  nearly  250 
of  these  local  committees  and  societies,  besides 
about  35  local  work-rooms.  The  Red  Cross 
was  reaching  through  these  committees  about 
325,000  people  in  over  2,000  towns  and  vil- 
lages. It  took  a  personnel  of  222  people  to 
carry  on  this  wholesale  operation  and  to  trans- 
port the  supplies  in  102  trucks  and  automobiles 
allotted  to  this  purpose. 

During  the  month  of  May,  373,859  refugees 
returned,  and  during  the  same  period  the 
American  Red  Cross  received  at  its  local  cen- 
ters over  221  car-loads  of  goods,  and  reshipped 
307  car-loads  and  124  truck-loads,  weighing 
3,500  tons.     In  May  alone  1,400,000  articles 


French  Official  Photo. 

A   HOUSE  DESTROYED  BY  A   NINETEEN-INCH   GERMAN    SHELL 


French  Official  Photo. 

A    HOUSE   REPAIRED   BY   THE   FRIENDS 


REFUGEES   FROM    THE    NORTH    IN    BARRACKS   AT   DREUX, 
NORMANDY 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  121 

were  distributed,  valued  at  4,420,000  francs. 

While  the  American  Red  Cross  gave  its  sup- 
plies to  the  local  societies,  it  expected  them  to 
sell  the  articles  at  a  price  w^hich  would  not  be 
too  far  below  the  current  prices  in  the  neigh- 
boring stores;  and  with  the  money  coming  in 
from  the  sales  the  local  societies  were  Encour- 
aged to  buy  medicines,  farming-tools,  and 
many  other  things  that  the  American  Red 
Cross  could  not  supply  from  its  available 
stores.  Almost  all  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
supplies  came  from  the  liquidation  of  Red 
Cross  affairs. 

As  part  of  its  general  policy  the  American 
Red  Cross  is  closing  up  its  wholesale  ware- 
houses during  the  summer  of  1919,  and  turn- 
ing over  all  of  its  supplies  to  the  French  local 
committees  and  societies,  which  will  carry  on 
the  work,  with  supplies  which  they  will  con- 
tinue to  receive  from  the  French  Ministry  of 
Liberated  Regions  and  from  other  sources. 

Important  as  this  immediate  relief  work  has 
been,  the  great  contribution  in  the  liberated  re- 
gions is  the  creation  of  these  local  committees 
and  societies  who  are  learning  how  to  handle 
relief  work  efficiently  and  who  now  can  be  ex- 


122  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

pected  to  carry  on  the  work  after  the  Red 
Cross  leaves.  The  departments  have  differed 
greatly,  according  to  the  initiative  and  the  or- 
ganizing ability  of  the  prefet  or  the  secretary- 
general  who  was  the  responsible  representative 
of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  for  the 
department.  In  the  Pas-de-Calais,  for  ex- 
ample, nine  strong  societies  existed  before  the 
Red  Cross  came  in  the  field,  and  the  devastated 
region  had  been  divided  up  among  them  by  the 
Government  in  proportion  to  what  each  could 
handle.  In  the  neighboring  department  of  the 
Nord,  there  were  very  few  committees,  so  the 
American  Red  Cross  working  in  harmony  with 
the  French  Government  has  organized  thirty- 
five  or  forty  local  committees. 

The  organizations  that  have  just  been  de- 
scribed in  some  detail  were  chosen  at  random  as 
typical  of  the  various  activities  in  the  devas- 
tated regions.  There  were  many  others — most 
of  them  French — 'that  were  doing  most  excel- 
lent work  and  they  one  and  all  have  had  a  de- 
cided effect  on  the  morale  of  the  returning 
refugees. 

The  great  problem  now  is  what  these  organ- 
izations are  going  to  do  in  the  future.     It  is 


PRIVATE  RELIEF  123 

obvious  that  as  life  gets  back  nearer  and  nearer 
to  a  normal  basis,  as  stores  are  opened  up,  as 
fields  are  plowed,  as  roads  are  repaired,  as  shel- 
ter is  provided,  as  the  railroads  begin  to  run 
normally,  and  in  particular  as  the  French  Gov- 
ernment services  are  becoming  better  organ- 
ized, there  is  less  and  less  need  for  outside  re- 
lief. Thus  the  whole  tendency  now  on  the  part 
of  the  relief  societies  is  to  try  to  do  some- 
thing of  permanent  value  for  the  future,  and 
in  particular  at  the  request  of  the  Ministry  of 
Liberated  Regions  to  try  to  estabhsh  health 
and  social- welfare  centers  and  to  train  a  French 
personnel  to  carry  them  on. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    STATE   PAYS   ALL   WAR   DAMAGES 

On  December  26,  1914,  the  French  Parlia- 
ment enunciated  the  principle,  unique  in  the 
world's  history,  that  the  State  should  pay  in 
full  all  material  war  damages  suffered  by  any 
one  in  France.  It  also  demanded  the  payment 
of  these  damages  by  the  enemy.  The  whole 
country  has  held  strongly  to  this  principle  ever 
since. 

Very  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  war 
the  French  Government  began  to  draft  a  bill 
determining  in  detail  just  how  the  State  should 
reimburse  the  individual  for  his  material  losses 
occasioned  by  any  act  of  war. 

On  May  7,  1915,  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
Committee  began  the  consideration  of  the  Gov- 
ernment bill  known  as  the  Desplas  Bill.  A 
number  of  French  societies  took  an  active  part 
in  helping  the  coromittee  frame  this  bill,  espe- 
cially Le  Comite  National  pour  la  Reparation 
Integrale  des  Dommages  causes  par  le  fait  de 

124 


WAE  DAMAGES  125 

la  Guerre;  La  Federation  Nationale  des  Asso- 
ciations Departementales  des  Sinistres;  Le 
Musee  Social;  L'Union  des  Comites  De- 
partementaux  des  Sinistres,  and  many  other 
organizations,  in  particular  the  various  tech- 
nical associations.  The  committee  reported  to 
the  Chamber  on  July  13,  1916. 

On  January  23,  1917,  the  Chamber  of  Dep- 
uties adopted  a  bill  which  was  the  result  of 
these  two  years  of  work.  In  general  it  pro- 
vided that  any  one  who  had  suffered  material 
war  damage  should  be  reimbursed  by  the  State 
for  the  full  value  of  his  damage.  This  was  to 
be  estimated  not  only  on  the  basis  of  values  as 
they  were  in  1914,  but  if  he  rebuilt  within  the 
same  commune  he  should  receive  from  the  State 
a  supplementary  damage  equal  to  the  increased 
cost  of  materials  and  of  labor  at  the  time  of  re- 
building. 

This  bill  then  went  to  the  Senate  committee, 
which  considered  it  continuously  during  1917. 
On  December  22,  1917,  this  House  adopted  a 
bill  similar  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  Bill  but 
with  a  number  of  modifications.  The  chief  dif- 
ference in  the  Senate  project  was  in  regard  to 
the  much  discussed  question  of  remploi,  that  is 


126         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

to  say,  rebuilding  in  the  same  community;  for 
the  Senate  went  unanimously  on  record  to  the 
effect  that  any  one  who  had  suffered  war  dam- 
age should  be  paid  in  full  at  present  cost  of  re- 
placement, regardless  of  where  he  rebuilt  or 
whether  or  not  he  rebuilt  at  all.  The  Senate 
argued  that  it  was  for  the  good  of  France  as  a 
whole,  and  only  just,  that  every  person  receiv- 
ing war  damages  should  have  the  right  to  de- 
cide, himself,  where  and  how  he  would  use  his 
money.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies,  on  the 
other  hand — which  is  elected  locally,  each  dep- 
uty having  a  specific  constituency  of  one  hun- 
dred to  one  hundred  and  fifty  communes — felt 
that  unless  there  was  in  the  law  a  special  in- 
ducement to  people  to  reinstall  themselves  in 
the  devastated  regions,  the  greater  nimaber 
might  take  the  easier  way  and  make  their 
homes  elsewhere  in  France,  or  even  in  foreign 
countries,  whereupon  the  devastated  regions, 
formerly  the  richest  part  of  France,  would  be- 
come comparatively  a  desert. 

The  Chamber  of  Deputies  took  the  modifi- 
cations of  the  Senate  under  consideration  and 
numerous  meetings  were  held  to  try  to  deter- 
mine on  compromises  which  would  satisfy  both 


WAR  DAMAGES  127 

Houses,  with  the  result  that  on  February  1, 
1919,  the  Chamber  adopted  the  Senate  draft 
in  its  general  lines  but  with  minor  modifica- 
tions. Subsequent  deliberations  took  place  in 
the  Senate  in  March,  in  the  Chamber  in  April, 
and  later  in  April  in  the  Senate. 

On  April  17,  1919,  the  Senate  adopted  and 
the  President  of  the  RepubUc  promulgated  a 
war-damage  law  virtually  identical  with  that 
voted  by  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  in  Febru- 
ary. The  law  was  in  effect  from  this  date.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Belgian  war-dam- 
age bill,  similar  in  so  many  ways,  was  adopted 
and  promulgated  on  May  10,  1919,  together 
with  various  additions  on  May  15  and  on  June 
1,  1919. 

The  French  law  contains  seventy  articles 
and  about  fourteen  thousand  words.  Because 
it  is  said  to  be  the  first  law  of  its  kind  in  his- 
tory, and  because  of  its  immense  effect  on  the 
future  of  the  devastated  regions  and,  indeed, 
of  the  whole  of  France,  a  study  of  its  leading 
principles  and  provisions  is  well  worth  while. 

The  law  defines  the  following  material  dam- 
ages as  coming  within  its  scope : 

(1)  Any  requisitions  made   by   allied   or 


123        OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

enemy  troops ;  any  contributions,  taxes,  or  fines 
imposed  by  the  enemy;  and  any  damage  caused 
by   the   lodging   of   enemy  or   alHed  troops. 

(2)  Everything  material  that  has  been 
stolen  or  lost,  including  crops,  animals,  trees, 
goods,  furniture,  stocks,  and  bonds;  any  de- 
terioration or  partial  destruction  caused  to  any 
of  the  above,  regardless  of  the  author ;  and  any 
loss  of  movable  property  in  France  or  abroad 
occurring  during  an  evacuation  or  a  return. 

(3)  Any  deterioration,  or  partial  or  total 
destruction  to  any  building  or  any  machines, 
tools,  animals,  or  accessories -having  to  do  with 
any  commercial,  industrial,  or  agricultural  ex- 
ploitation. 

(4)  Damages  shall  be  paid  even  where 
property  was  in  a  military  zone  and  even 
when  they  were  damages  occasioned  by  war 
preparatory  or  preventive  measures. 

(5)  Any  damage  caused  to  fishing-boats. 

All  demands  for  the  payment  of  damages  are 
grouped  and  appraised  and  the  damages  fixed 
by  categories. 

Where  the  enemy  has  held  part  of  the  capi- 
tal of  a  society,  the  members  of  the  society  will 


WAR  DAMAGES  129 

be  entitled  to  an  indemnity  equal  to  the  benefit 
they  should  have  derived  normally  from  this 
capital  if  this  had  not  been  taken. 

The  right  to  receive  damages  applies  to 
strangers  in  France,  according  to  conditions 
which  will  be  determined  by  treaties  between 
France  and  the  various  nations  in  question, 

The  material  damages  to  be  paid  by  the 
State  include  not  onty  the  loss  sustained,  ac- 
cording to  its  appraised  value  just  before  war 
was  declared,  but  also  the  supplementary  cost 
of  replacing  buildings  or  goods  to-day.  The 
supplementary  expenses  are  given  to  the  appli- 
cant only  in  case  he  rebuilds  or  reestablishes 
any  industrial,  commercial,  or  agricultural 
property  (regardless  of  whether  or  not  it  is  of 
the  same  use  as  previously)  in  the  same  com- 
mune it  was  in  before,  or  within  a  radius  of 
fifty  kilometers  and  not  outside  the  devastated 
region.  However,  where  the  State  expropri- 
ates agricultural  land  the  farmer  may  get  the 
supplementary  damages  if  he  reestablishes 
himself  anywhere  within  the  devastated  re- 
gion. Depreciation  and  obsolescence  are  sub- 
tracted from  the  appraised  value  of  the  prop- 
erty; but  where  a  man  rebuilds  in  his  former 


130  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

neighborhood  he  is  entitled  to  a  sum  up  to  ten 
thousand  francs  from  the  State  to  offset  these 
deductions,  and  if  he  needs  more  than  this  to 
offset  them  the  State  will  loan  him  the  money 
for  twenty-five  years  at  3  per  cent,  interest. 
For  agricultural  buildings  not  over  20  per  cent, 
shall  be  deducted  in  any  case  of  remploi. 

All  reconstruction  must  conform  to  the  laws 
and  rules  of  public  sanitation  and  health,  and 
to  new  rules  which  are  being  laid  down  by  the 
Superior  Council  of  Hygiene.  Any  supple- 
mentary cost  to  the  community  of  such  im- 
provement is  assumed  by  the  State.  If  the 
war-damage  tribunal  finds  any  reconstruction 
contrary  to  public  health  or  general  economic 
interest,  it  can  interdict  it. 

Where  a  war-damaged  property  is  not  re- 
established in  the  same  region,  the  supplemen- 
tary expense  due  to  the  increased  cost  of  re- 
building and  material  to-day,  is  attributed  by 
the  State  to  a  common  fund  to  be  used  for  the 
advantage  of  the  devastated  regions.  Mean- 
while the  property-owner  receives  a  bond  from 
the  State  representing  the  money  due  him  and 
yielding  5  per  cent,  interest  annually.  These 
bonds  are  not  negotiable  for  five  years,  but 


WAR  DAMAGES  131 

money  can  be  borrowed  on  them  as  security; 
starting  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  year,  the  bonds 
will  be  amortized  in  ten  equal  annual  pay- 
ments. 

An  applicant  has  two  years  after  his  damage 
has  been  fixed  in  which  to  decide  whether  he 
will  reestablish  his  property  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood or  not.  If  he  does,  he  is  expected  to 
furnish,  with  his  demand  for  the  supplemen- 
tary expenses,  plans,  specifications,  and  esti- 
mates of  the  work  to  be  done  or  the  objects  to 
be  bought.  There  are  a  number  of  special 
clauses  which  take  care  of  the  right  of  co-part- 
ners or  other  members  of  a  society  interested, 
the  lessee,  the  holder  of  a  mortgage  or  of  a 
lien  on  the  property,  also  the  people  affected 
by  any  public  or  private  restrictions  on  the 
property. 

In  the  case  of  any  public  building  or  any  re- 
ligious building,  the  damage  consists  of  the 
sum  needed  to  erect  a  building  of  the  same 
character,  importance,  and  use  as  the  destroyed 
building.  The  Minister  of  Fine  Arts  has  ap- 
pointed a  commission  to  follow  up  all  such 
cases. 

The  value  of  any  m'ovable  property  is  based 


132  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

on  its  value  June  30,  1914,  or,  if  it  was  bought 
after  that  time,  on  its  cost  when  bought.  The 
supplementary  damages  represent  the  differ- 
ence between  the  value  determined  as  described 
above  and  the  cost  of  replacement  at  the  time 
that  the  appraisal  is  made. 

Supplementary  damages  are  given  only  for 
movable  objects  included  in  the  following  list: 

(1)  Raw  materials  and  supplies  needed  by 
an  industrial  plant  to  put  it  back  in  normal 
running  order  for  an  initial  period  of  three 
months;  this  also  includes  articles  being  fabri- 
cated at  the  time  of  the  destruction,  and  the 
articles  needed  in  the  exercise  of  a  profession. 

(2)  Animals,  fodder,  fertilizer,  seeds,  crops, 
and  anything  else  necessary  to  keep  an  agricul- 
tural plant  going  until  the  next  harvest. 

(3)  Any  tools,  machinery,  or  other  articles 
or  installation  needed  in  commerce  or  the  exer- 
cise of  a  profession ;  and  any  raw  materials  or 
goods  needed  for  the  running  of  any  business 
or  industry  during  the  first  three  months. 

(4)  Any  personal  property  in  connection 
with  the  home,  such  as  furniture,  furnishings, 
linen,  and  even  any  ornaments,  provided  that 


WAR  DAMAGES  188 

*no  one  of  the  latter  shall  be  reimbursed  at  more 
than  three  thousand  francs. 

Bonds  and  mortgages  of  the  French  Gov- 
ernment will  be  replaced  by  others  of  the  same 
sort.  For  any  other  bonds,  mortgages,  or  sim- 
ilar papers,  coming  from  any  French  or  for- 
eign source,  the  State  will  pay  damages  on 
the  basis  of  the  quoted  value  at  the  time  of  the 
appraisal  of  the  loss. 

A  public  notary  is  entitled  to  receive  dam- 
ages equal  to  the  difference  between  the  value 
of  his  bureau  just  before  the  war  and  at  the 
time  of  ^appraisal.  If  the  bureau  is  suppressed, 
special  damages  are  awarded  depending  on  the 
case. 

If  the  applicant  for  indemnity  is  receiving 
an  indemnity  for  the  same  things  from  any 
other  source,  such  as  insurance,  the  sums  re- 
ceived outside  shall  be  deducted  from  the 
amount  awarded  by  the  State,  except  that  the 
State  will  reimburse  premiums  paid.  The 
money  spent  by  the  State  for  temporary  shel- 
ter for  returning  refugees  or  for  animals  and 
furniture  is  not  deducted  from  the  total  of  the 
indemnity.     For  temporary  construction  an 


134  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

applicant  can  receive  an  advance  of  not  over 
one  third  of  the  total  of  his  indemnity,  and  if 
he  is  going  to  reconstruct  he  can  receive  5  per 
cent,  annually  on  the  balance  of  the  indemnity 
until  he  does. 

The  damages  enumerated  above  are  to  be  ap- 
praised and  determined  by  commissions  to  be 
created  by  the  Government  as  soon  as  possible, 
at  least  one  to  each  canton.  A  special  commis- 
sion in  the  Department  of  Public  Works  in 
Paris  will  take  care  of  all  matters  that  have  to 
do  with  boats  or  water  transportation.  Each 
commission  is  composed  of  five  members;  the 
president  is  to  be  a  judge  of  a  civil  court,  or 
in  any  case  a  member  of  the  bar;  one  member 
of  the  commission  is  to  be  named  by  the  Min- 
ister of  Finance  and  the  Minister  of  Liberated 
Regions ;  one  is  to  be  an  architect,  a  contractor, 
or  an  engineer;  one  is  to  be  a  person  who  is 
specially  competent  to  appraise  furniture  and 
movable  objects;  one  is  to  be  a  farmer,  a  man- 
ufacturer, a  merchant,  or  a  workman,  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  damages  to  be  ap- 
praised. In  addition  there  is  to  be  a  competent 
secretary.  A  quorum  consists  of  the  president 
and  three  members.     When  the  damage  to  be 


WAR  DAMAGES  135 

appraised  has  to  do  with  mines,  quarries,  for- 
ests, or  ponds,  there  are  to  be  men  especially 
competent  in  those  subjects  on  the  commission. 
The  same  is  true  in  the  case  of  the  appraisal  of 
any  matter  that  has  to  do  with  boats  or  naviga- 
tion. 

In  each  department  the  prefet  has  to  create  a 
special  committee  to  establish  unit  prices  for 
everything  that  enters  into  con'struction,  both 
for  1914  and  for  the  present  day.  These  units 
serve  as  a  basis  for  the  appraisals  to  be  made 
by  the  cantonal  commissions. 

Interested  persons  or  societies  are  requested 
to  submit  their  applications  for  indemnities  due 
them  just  as  soon  as  possible,  together  with  all 
facts  and  supporting  papers  that  the  cantonal 
conmiissions  may  need.  There  are  a  number 
of  special  provisions  which  determine  the  right 
to  indemnity  of  wives,  minors,  incompetents,  or 
absent  persons. 

The  cantonal  commission  has  the  right  to 
convoke  any  interested  parties  and  if  there  is 
disagreement  among  them  the  commission  will 
try  to  settle  .it ;  if  not  settled  by  the  commis- 
sion, the  case  goes  to  the  proper  tribunal. 

In  the  chief  town  of  each  arrondissement 


136         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

where  there  are  cantonal  commissions,  there  is 
a  war-damage  tribunal.  This  tribunal  con- 
sists of  a  president  named  by  the  Minister  of 
Justice,  two  members  and  two  alternates  also 
named  by  the  Minister  of  Justice,  and  two 
members  and  two  alternates  chosen  by  lot  every 
two  months  from  a  list  of  twenty  names  se- 
lected by  the  department  council. 

It  should  decide  all  cases  submitted  to  it  by 
the  cantonal  commissions.  The  tribunal  can 
subpoena  any  persons  or  papers  needed. 

The  decisions  of  the  tribunal  are  final,  ex- 
cept that  they  can  be  reviewed  by  the  Conseil 
d'Etat — ^that  is,  the  Supreme  Court  of  France 
in  administrative  matters — for  incompetence, 
exceeding  of  powers,  or  violation  of  the  law. 

As  soon  as  a  final  decision  has  been  reached 
on  the  amount  of  damage  to  be  awarded,  the 
applicant  is  entitled  to  a  bond  from  the  State 
for  the  total  amount,  and  if  he  decides  to  re- 
establish his  property  he  receives  a  supplemen- 
tary bond  for  the  amount  of  the  present  ex- 
cess cost  of  reestablishment.  Depreciation  and 
obsolescence  will  have  been  deducted  from 
these  bonds.  The  5  per  cent,  annual  interest 
on  the  bonds  usually  dates  from  the  day  when 


WAR  DAMAGES  137 

the  damage  occurred  and  is  payable  in  cash. 

Where  the  appHcant  is  ready  to  reestablish 
his  property  in  the  same  region,  he  has  the 
right  within  two  months  after  he  has  been 
awarded  his  damage  to  receive  in  cash  an  ad- 
vance of  25  per  cent,  on  the  1914  appraised 
value,  and  in  any  case  at  least  3,000  francs  and 
not  more  than  100,000  francs,  except  where  the 
war-damage  tribunal  allows  more. 

As  reconstruction  proceeds,  or  as  articles  are 
bought,  the  applicant  has  only  to  present  the 
bills  and  they  will  be  paid  within  two  months, 
up  to  the  total  appraised  value  of  the  property 
plus  the  supplementary  costs  allowed.  When 
the  applicant  has  used  up  all  of  his  damage, 
he  can  borrow  from  the  State  at  3  per  cent,  a 
sum  equal  to  the  amount  deducted  for  depre- 
ciation and  obsolescence  after  he  has  used  up 
the  10,000  francs  allowed  in  certain  cases.  If 
the  applicant  decides  to  reestablish  himself  in 
the  devastated  regions  but  not  within  fifty  ki- 
lometers of  the  place  where  his  loss  was  sus- 
tained, he  can  still  receive  the  above  advances 
from  the  State  up  to  the  total  appraised  value 
of  the  property  in  1914. 

With  the  consent  of  the  applicant  the  State, 


188         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

instead  of  paying  the  indemnity  in  cash,  can 
give  in  exchange  an  equivalent  building  in  the 
same  or  a  neighboring  canton,  or  equivalent 
movable  objects.  The  State  can  also  furnish 
materials  or  do  reconstruction  work  on  its  own 
account. 

With  the  consent  of  the  applicant  the  State 
can  free  itself  from  its  obligations  by  buying 
any  property  at  the  appraised  value. 

If  the  cost  of  bringing  the  ground  back  un- 
der cultivation  is  more  than  the  value  of  the 
land  itself,  the  State  is  bound  to  expropriate 
the  property  at  the  appraised  value. 

If  the  applicant  owes  any  money  to  the 
State,  it  is  to  be  deducted  from  his  awarded  in- 
demnity. 

In  general,  interest  on  the  indemnity  bonds 
is  calculated  from  November  11,  1918,  at  5 
per  cent.,  payable  quarterly  and  in  cash. 
Many  special  things,  however,  date  from  the 
day  the  damage  was  incurred. 

If  a  man  has  sold  a  property  between  the 
time  the  damage  occurred  and  the  promulga- 
tion of  this  law,  he  can  demand  his  property 
back  at  the  price  he  received  for  it  if  he  wishes 
to  reconstruct. 


WAR  DAMAGES  139 

Any  applicant  who  wishes  to  reestablish  his 
property  in  the  devastated  regions  has  the 
right  of  priority  in  the  transportation  of  any- 
thing that  he  may  need  for  this  reestabhsh- 
ment. 

The  State  assumes  all  costs  of  making  prop- 
erty surveys,  of  clearing  out  the  ruins,  of  clear- 
ing away  all  unexploded  war  material,  and  the 
State  assumes  the  proprietorship  of  all  such 
material.  It  is  responsible  for  all  accidents 
due  to  the  explosion  of  war  material. 

The  State  assumes  the  cost  of  the  making  of 
all  town  plans.  It  will  expropriate  and  pay 
full  appraised  value  for  all  land  or  buildings 
taken  in  connection  with  any  public  improve- 
ment, as  determined  by  the  new  town  plans. 
It  assumes  the  cost  of  all  improvements  re- 
quired in  pubhc  sanitation. 

The  law  is  applicable  to  French  colonies  and 
protectorates. 

The  only  striking  difference  between  the 
Belgian  law  and  the  French  law  is  that  the  for- 
mer provides  that  if  an  applicant  wishes  to  re- 
ceive from  the  State  supplementary  damages 
to  cover  the  increased  cost  of  construction  and 
replacement  to-day,  he  must  rebuild  within  the 


140  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

same  commune ;  however,  the  war-damage  tri- 
bunal has  the  authority  in  special  cases  to  al- 
low him  to  rebuild  elsewhere  within  the  king- 
dom. 

Ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  the 
State  has  been  making  advances  to  the  return- 
ing refugees  on  the  principle  that  as  the  State 
was  committed  to  the  policy  of  repayment  in 
full,  there  was  every  reason  why  a  certain  small 
percentage  of  the  eventual  indemnity  should 
be  advanced  as  needed.  On  July  5,  1917,  a 
law  was  passed  stating  just  how  and  under 
what  conditions  damage  claims  should  be  filed 
and  verified. 

According  to  government  decrees,  a  man 
who  has  suffered  a  war  damage  would  apply 
through  the  mayor  of  his  commune  to  the 
prefet  of  the  department.  The  prefet  would 
send  three  experts  to  make  a  provision  ap- 
praisal of  the  damage,  on  the  basis  of  values  as 
they  were  in  1914.  Then  the  prefet  could 
make  an  advance  in  cash  to  the  applicant,  as 
the  latter's  bills  for  reconstruction  became  due, 
up  to  50  per  cent,  of  the  appraised  value.  On 
October  12,  1918,  this  was  raised  to  75  per 
cent,  of  the  appraised  value,  and  where  the 


WAR  DAMAGES  141 

work  of  reconstruction  was  done  in  common — 
that  is  to  say,  where  the  individuals  were 
grouped  together  into  a  reconstruction  coop- 
erative society — ^they  could  receive  up  to  90 
per  cent,  of  the  appraised  value. 

Meanwhile,  any  temporary  repairs,  the  erec- 
tion of  portable  houses,  and  half  the  cost  of 
providing  them,  was  assumed  gratuitously  by 
the  State. 

Furniture  and  furnishings  were  advanced  to 
the  applicant  at  first  on  the  basis  of  a  maxi- 
mum of  500  francs  to  a  head  of  a  family  and 
200  francs  apiece  for  other  members  of  the 
family.  On  November  2,  1918,  this  was  in- 
creased to  1,000  francs  for  the  head  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  on  February  25,  1919,  arrangements 
were  made  whereby  the  State  would  advance 
the  money  in  cash  so  that  the  appHcant  could  go 
out  and  buy  the  furniture  himself. 

On  July  12,  1918,  advances  of  1,000  francs 
per  hectare — that  is  to  say,  about  400  francs 
per  acre — of  cultivable  land,  were  allowed  ev- 
erywhere in  the  devastated  regions.  Only  400 
francs  of  this  amount  could  be  paid  in  cash ;  the 
other  600  could  be  used  only  for  the  payment  of 
bills  for  agricultural  implements,  cattle,  fertil- 


142         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

izer,  seeds,  etc.  This  was  later  increased  to 
2,000,  3,000,  and  even  4,000  francs  per  hectare 
in  special  cases. 

On  October  13,  1917,  and  on  October  21, 
1918,  special  arrangements  were  made  by  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior  and  the  Minister  of 
Liberated  Regions  respectively  for  making  ad- 
vances not  to  exceed  3,000  francs  to  farmers, 
shopkeepers,  artisans,  and  small  manufactur- 
ers, to  cover  their  initial  expenses  in  starting 
their  enterprise  again.  On  February  21, 1919, 
the  same  help  was  extended  to  the  larger  man- 
ufacturers and  to  contractors.  The  advances 
were  based  on  their  necessary  expenses  for  the 
first  three  months  in  getting  under  way,  and 
should  not  exceed  12,000  francs  per  employee. 
On  February  22,  1919,  a  similar  allowance  was 
made  for  advances  to  people  engaged  in  a  pro- 
fession, to  help  them  get  started,  and  in  this 
case  the  total  advance  was  limited  to  10,000 
francs. 

On  April  25, 1919,  advances  were  allowed  to 
individuals  or  reconstruction  cooperative  so- 
cieties of  from  2  to  4  per  cent,  of  the  appraised 
value  of  the  damage  for  paying  the  cost  of  the 


WAR  DAMAGES  148 

initial  work  of  lawyers,  experts,  architects,  en- 
gineers, etc. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  dommages  de 
guerre  law,  on  April  17,  1919,  the  Minister  of 
Liberated  Regions  has  decreed  that  appli- 
cants shall  continue  to  receive  the  advances 
which  are  described  above,  until  such  time  as 
the  machinery  has  been  prepared  for  the  effec- 
tive operation  of  the  new  law.  The  cantonal 
commissions  for  determining  the  amount  of 
damages  to  be  paid  were  in  operation  by  the 
end  of  July.  There  will  be  in  all  about  eight 
hundred  of  these  commissions. 

Meanwhile  the  government  officers  in  each 
department  are  receiving  already  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  requests  for  the  payment  of  war 
damages  and  up  to  July  1,  1919,  it  was  esti- 
mated that  the  Government  had  already  paid 
out  in  advances  against  the  eventual  indemnity, 
something  like  five  hundred  million  francs. 


CHAPTER  VII 

RECENT   LAWS   AFFECTING   KECONSTRUCTION 

The  war  has  had  an  inspiring  effect  on  social 
legislation  in  France.  There  are  many  peo- 
ple who  feel  that  the  new  point  of  view  created 
by  the  great  conflict  has  advanced  social  wel- 
fare in  that  country  by  at  least  twenty-five 
years. 

This  is  strikingly  true  as  to  legislation  long 
needed  with  regard  to  public  health,  housing, 
and  town-planning,  for  along  each  of  these 
lines  quite  remarkable  laws  have  been  voted  in 
France  between  the  signing  of  the  armistice 
and  the  signing  of  peace. 

On  March  14, 1919,  the  French  Government 
enacted  a  law  making  the  improvement  of  the 
plans  of  cities  and  towns  compulsory  through- 
out the  republic.  It  is  the  first  broad  compul- 
sory national  town-planning  law  in  the  world, 
and  France  has  set  a  standard  which  other  na- 
tions are  hastening  to  copy.  It  was  on  the 
strength  of  the  example  set  by  France  that  the 
British  House  of  Commons  voted  on  May  28, 

144 


RECENT  LAWS  145 

1919,  a  law  making  town-planning  compulsory 
throughout  England  from  1923. 

The  French  town-planning  law  requires  that 
every  town  throughout  France  of  over  ten 
thousand  inhabitants  shall  make  within  three 
years  a  plan  for  its  improvement,  embellish- 
ment, and  extension.  This  plan  shall  deter- 
mine the  direction,  width,  and  character  of  the 
thoroughfares  to  be  created  or  improved;  the 
location,  extent,  and  lay-out  of  public  open 
spaces,  including  parks,  playgrounds,  and  res- 
ervations ;  also  the  location  of  public  buildings 
and  monuments.  The  plans  are  to  include, 
also,  recommendations  for  restrictions  in  re- 
gard to  hygiene  or  esthetics,  and  also  provision 
for  water-supply  and  sewage-disposal. 

Plans  must  also  be  made  for  all  subdivisions, 
all  resorts,  and  all  rapidly  growing  commimi- 
ties. 

In  particular,  any  part  of  any  town  or  vil- 
lage, regardless  of  its  size,  which  has  been 
wholly  or  partially  destroyed  by  any  act  of 
war,  by  fire,  earthquake,  etc.,  must  have  a  plan 
made  within  three  months  for  the  improvement 
of  the  street  alignment  and  grades  of  the  dis- 
trict in  question,  accompanied  by  a  study  for 


146         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

the  general  improvement,  embellishment,  and 
extension  of  the  district;  and  until  such  plan 
has  been  made  and  approved,  no  construction, 
except  temporary  shelters,  can  be  carried  out. 

Furthermore,  it  is  understood  that  if  the 
towns  themselves  cannot  pay  the  cost  of  mak- 
ing these  plans,  the  State  will  do  it. 

The  mayor  and  the  municipal  council  can 
choose  their  own  experts  to  make  the  plans, 
which,  however,  must  be  passed  upon  by  the 
Bureau  of  Hygiene,  and  then  sent  to  the  gen- 
eral town-planning  commissioners  of  the  de- 
partment in  which  the  town  is  located.  The 
commissioners  make  their  recommendations,  or 
changes,  or  improvements  in  the  plans,  which 
then  go  back  to  the  municipal  council  with  the 
expectation  that  it  will  adopt  them.  Once  a 
plan  is  adopted,  no  structure  can  be  erected 
save  where  the  mayor  issues  to  the  owner  per- 
mission to  build. 

In  addition  there  is  a  national  town-planning 
commission  which  standardizes  town-planning 
practice  and  issues  rules  to  the  municipalities 
to  guide  them  in  the  application  of  the  law.  It 
also  gives  its  advice  and  decision  on  any  prob- 
lem presented  to  it  from  the  departments. 


RECENT  LAWS  147 

By  the  first  of  August,  1919,  there  were 
several  hundred  communes  in  the  devastated 
regions  at  work  on  their  plans,  and  depart- 
mental town-planning  commissions  were  busy 
trying  to  keep  up  with  the  flood  of  plans  com- 
ing in  for  their  approval. 

The  next  most  important  law  affecting  the 
future  planning  of  towns  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions is  the  expropriation  law  which  was  en- 
acted on  November  6,  1918.  This  law  is  an 
important  modification  of  the  famous  French 
law  of  May  3,  1841,  on  the  expropriation  of 
private  property  for  pubhc  use.  The  three 
outstanding  advantages  of  the  new  law 
are: 

(1)  That,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
France,  the  State  or  the  municipality  can  ex- 
propriate for  a  public  use  a  whole  zone,  not 
only  the  land  actually  needed  for  a  public  im- 
provement, but  such  extra  land  as  may  seem 
desirable  if  the  State  would  get  as  much  ad- 
vantage as  possible  out  of  the  improvement, 
either  now  or  in  the  future. 

(2)  That  the  State  has  a  right  to  impose  an 
excess-benefit  tax  on  any  surrounding  property 


148  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

whose  value  is  increased  more  than  15  per  cent, 
by  the  improvement. 

(3)  That  the  expropriation  jury,  instead  of 
consisting  only  of  proprietors,  as  heretofore, 
shall  now  consist  of  anybody  who  fulfils  the 
conditions  necessary  for  serving  on  a  criminal 
jury. 

Up  to  July,  1919,  this  law  had  not  yet  been 
applied,  but  the  French  are  looking  forward 
with  great  interest  to  its  application. 

The  third  law  of  interest  in  the  devastated 
regions  is  the  one  which  was  voted  on  Novem- 
ber 27,  1918,  and  revised  March  4,  1919,  with 
a  view  to  facilitating  the  reparceling  of  rural 
property  and  the  settling  of  disputes  over  the 
location  of  party  lines.  The  stranger  often 
wonders  at  the  long  plowing-strips  which  he 
sees  throughout  France,  and  the  curious  way 
in  which  property  is  broken  up  into  small  ir- 
regular parcels.  These  peculiarities  are  due 
to  the  French  inheritance  laws,  which  provide 
that  real  property  must  be  split  up  among  all 
the  heirs.  The  result  is  that  parcels  tend  to 
grow  smaller  and  smaller,  except  as  they  are 
united  again  on  the  initiative  of  individuals. 


FRENCH   ARCHITECTS   AND    CONTRACTORS    IN    PARIS   INVESTI- 
GATING OFFICIAL   EXPERIMENTAL   CONSTRUCTION 
WITH   MUD 


OFFICIAL    EXPERIMENTAL    FARM    BUILDINGS     MADE    WITH 
MUD  WALLS — PARIS 


OFFICIAL  EXPERIMENT  WITH  ROUGH  BARN  CONSTRUCTION- 
PARIS 


A    HOME    OF    BROKEN    BRICKS    AND    MUD    MORTAR,    ESMERY 
HALLON,    SOMME 


RECENT  LAWS  149 

I  have  heard  of  a  case  where  one  farmer  had 
two  hundred  and  sixty  separate  parcels  of  land, 
all  irregular,  some  of  them  no  bigger  than  a 
room.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  improve  a 
town  plian  or  to  secure  efficiency  in  farming 
where  land  is  broken  up  so  queerly. 

The  new  law  tends  to  rectify  this  trouble  by 
providing  that  properties  in  a  given  district, 
which  have  not  been  built  over,  can  be  pooled, 
new  streets  and  new  property  lines  laid  out, 
and  then  unified  parcels  given  out  to  each  of 
the  contributing  proprietors,  the  area  and 
quality  of  such  parcels  to  be  equivalent  to  the 
aggregate  of  those  contributed  to  the  pool. 
There  would  be  no  cash  transaction  in  this 
proceeding,  except  where  there  were  certain 
buildings  or  other  constructions  that  could  not 
be  taken  care  of  by  a  simple  exchange.  It  is 
understood  in  the  law  that  whenever  a  prop- 
erty-owner within  the  district  that  is  being  re- 
parceled  does  not  object  to  the  reparceling,  he 
may  be  considered  officially  to  be  in  favor  of  it. 

Up  to  July,  1919,  this  law  had  not  been 
put  into  effect  in  the  devastated  regions,  as  the 
ministerial  decree  defining  the  methods  of  pro- 
cedure had  not  been  promulgated.     It  is  ex- 


150  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

pected,  however,  that  the  law  will  be  in  opera- 
tion very  shortly. 

In  many  ways  the  most  important  law  of 
all,  as  affecting  the  future  of  the  devastated 
regions  and  indirectly  the  whole  of  France,  is 
to  be  found  in  Article  5  and  Article  62  of  the 
law  enacted  on  April  17,  1919,  providing  for 
the  State  reimbursement  of  war  damage.  In 
these  articles  it  is  specified  that  everything 
constructed  in  the  devastated  regions  shall  con- 
form to  the  laws  and  rules  of  public  sanitation, 
and  that  the  State  shall  pay  the  extra  cost  of 
all  improvements  effected  by  the  community. 

On  June  2,  1919,  a  decree  was  published 
setting  forth  the  application  of  this  law  and 
ordering  municipalities  to  make  plans  imme- 
diately for  improving  water-supply  and 
sewage-disposal,  and  insisting  that  all  building 
plans  should  be  passed  upon  in  regard  to  sani- 
tation before  the  owners  were  allowed  to  build. 

This  goes  back  to  the  famous  public-health 
law  of  February  15,  1902,  which  was  a  purely 
permissive  law  allowing  municipalities  to  cre- 
ate a  public-health  commission  that  should 
control  sanitation  within  the  community  Un- 
fortunately, for  obvious  political  reasons  this 


RECENT  LAWS  151 

law  has  not  been  very  widely  applied.  How- 
ever, in  July,  1918,  the  Superior  Council  of 
Public  Hygiene  of  France  pubhshed  two 
model  sanitary  ordinances.  Model  A  for  cities 
and  towns,  and  Model  B  for  villages  and  rural 
communities.  These  model  ordinances  were 
urged  upon  the  various  communities  through- 
out the  country  for  their  local  adoption,  and 
now  they  are  serving  as  the  standard  rules  that 
must  be  conformed  to  in  all  reconstruction  in 
the  devastated  regions. 

The  model  rural  sanitary  ordinance  pro- 
hibits thatched  roofs,  even  on  barns.  It  con- 
tains a  number  of  provisions  for  insulating 
floors  and  walls  to  minimize  the  damp  interiors 
that  one  finds  all  through  the  country  districts 
of  France.  It  orders  that  kitchens  shall  be 
large  and  well  lighted  and  well  ventilated. 
Every  precaution  shall  be  taken  against  flies 
in  the  kitchen.  Waste  water  shall  be  properly 
taken  care  of. 

Bedrooms  shall  be  at  least  8  feet  8  inches 
high  in  clear  and  there  shall  be  at  least  750 
cubic  feet  of  air  in  the  room.  There  shall  be 
at  least  15  square  feet  of  window-opening. 
No  one  will  be  allowed  to  sleep  in  cellars,  attics. 


152  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

barns,  or  stables,  which  means  putting  an  end 
to  the  custom  prevailing  throughout  France 
of  having  farm-hands  sleep  in  the  stables. 

A  great  deal  of  attention  is  paid  to  water- 
supply,  and  it  is  required  that  water  shall  be 
brought  directly  from  its  source  wherever  pos- 
sible; that  wells  shall  have  tight  walls  and  a 
high  curb  and  be  located  as  far  as  possible  from 
water-closets  and  manure  piles. 

All  of  the  farm-buildings  in  which  animals 
are  housed  shall  be  kept  as  dry  as  possible. 
Again,  everything  shall  be  done  to  keep  out  the 
flies. 

All  manure  shall  be  removed  at  least  twice  a 
week  in  winter  and  at  least  three  times  a  week 
in  summer,  and  the  farmers  are  absolutely  pro- 
hibited from  letting  it  stay  along  the  street, 
or  against  houses,  or  near  the  water-supply. 
The  purin  must  be  collected  in  tight  cisterns. 
Unsanitary  waste  matter  must  not  be  thrown 
into  any  stream  or  pond  and  shall  be  deposited 
as  far  as  possible  from  any  house  or  street. 
Greatest  care  must  be  taken  in  the  location  and 
installation  and  up-keep  of  water-closets  or 
privies. 


RECENT  LAWS  153 

Any  case  of  infectious  disease  must  be  de- 
clared, and  isolated  wherever  possible.  Every- 
thing that  has  to  do  with  the  sick  person  must 
be  disinfected. 

The  model  urban  sanitary  ordinance  has 
some  interesting  additions  to  the  one  for  riu'al 
communities.  For  example,  it  requires  that 
every  inhabited  room  shall  contain  at  least  90 
square  feet  of  floor  space,  and  the  area  of  the 
window-openings  in  each  room  shall  be  not  less 
than  one  sixth  of  the  area  of  the  floor. 

Sleeping  in  cellars  is  prohibited,  and  even 
where  a  cellar  is  inhabited  only  during  the  day, 
its  floor  must  be  not  more  than  4  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  street. 

The  first  and  second  floor  must  be  at  least  9 
feet  4  inches  high.  Buildings  on  the  street  line 
are  limited  to  a  height  equal  to  the  width  of  the 
street,  plus  from  13  to  30  feet;  but  on  all  new 
streets  buildings  can  be  no  higher  than  the 
street  is  wide.  Private  roads  must  be  at  least 
30  feet  wide;  interior  courts  must  be  at  least 
half  as  wide  as  they  are  high.  Even  light- 
shafts  must  have  at  least  150  square  feet  of 
area. 


164         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Running  water  shall  be  easily  accessible  to 
every  one.  Wells  may  be  used  only  under 
special  conditions. 

Contrary  to  the  usual  practice  in  country  dis- 
tricts, waste  water  must  not  be  thrown  into  the 
rain-water  down-spouts. 

Every  lodging  with  two  rooms  or  over  not 
including  the  kitchen,  must  have  its  own 
separate,  well-lighted  water-closet.  Water- 
closets  must  not  communicate  directly  with 
bedrooms  or  kitchens.  Wherever  there  are 
sewers  in  the  street,  every  house  on  the  street 
must  connect  with  them.  Cesspools  are  pro- 
hibited. In  towns  of  over  twenty  thousand  in- 
habitants no  building  shall  be  done  except  with 
a  permit  from  the  mayor.  Every  infraction  of 
these  rules  is  punished  by  a  fine. 

The  application  of  these  laws  means  every- 
thing for  the  future  of  the  devastated  regions, 
and  indirectly  for  France  as  a  whole.  The 
republic  is  taking  a  long  step  forward.  She  is 
showing  to  the  world  that  she  means  to  rebuild 
the  devastated  regions  in  a  way  that  will  be 
worthy  of  her  artistic  traditions,  worthy  of  the 
sacrifices  of  the  war,  worthy  of  France. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

GOVEKNMENT   ORGANIZATION   FOR 
RECONSTRUCTION 

As  we  have  seen,  the  French  Government 
has  been  actively  interested  in  the  hberated  and 
the  devastated  regions  from  the  very  beginning 
of  the  war.  In  August,  1914,  as  the  refugees 
were  driven  west  and  south  by  the  advancing 
German  Army,  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  in- 
structed the  prefets  of  the  invaded  depart- 
ments to  use  a  free  hand  in  taking  care  of  the 
civihans,  and  all  through  the  interior  of  France 
they  were  instructed  to  do  everything  neces- 
sary to  shelter,  feed,  clothe,  and  even  find  work 
for  the  refugees. 

As  the  Germans  were  driven  back  after  the 
Battle  of  the  Marne,  an  area  of  some  7,000  or 
8,000  square  miles  was  liberated,  in  which  there 
were  serious  problems  of  immediate  relief,  and 
gradually  increasing  problems  of  agricultural, 
industrial,  and  commercial  reestablishment. 

In  December,   1914,  the  French  Govem- 

155 


156         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

ment,  which  was  then  sitting  at  Bordeaux, 
voted  a  credit  of  300,000,000  francs  on  which 
the  prefets  of  the  liberated  regions  w^ere  virtu- 
ally given  carte  blanche  to  draw  for  the  rehef 
of  their  people,  and  to  help  them  get  back  on 
their  feet.  For  the  first  two  years  of  the  war 
the  expenditure  of  this  money  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Service  of  Control  and  Accounting  of 
the  Ministry  of  the  Interior.  On  July  20, 
1915,  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  issued  a 
decree  calling  for  the  declaration  and  appraisal 
of  damages  throughout  the  devastated  regions. 
Early  in  1916  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  cre- 
ated a  special  service  of  reconstitution,  with 
Monsieur  Bluzet  as  director,  to  handle  all  mat- 
ters that  had  to  do  with  the  liberated  regions. 

In  May,  1916,  the  Government  created  an 
interministerial  committee,  composed  of  repre- 
sentatives of  all  of  the  French  ministries  that 
had  to  do  with  the  liberated  regions.  The 
function  of  this  committee  was  to  coordinate 
the  work  of  relief  and  reestablishment  under- 
taken or  projected  by  the  various  government 
bureaus.  It  appointed  several  technical  com- 
missions to  advise  it  on  various  problems  that 
interested  it. 


REBUILDING  A  STORE  AT  RHEIMS 


THE    BAKER'S    HOUSE    AT    LA    BASSEE 


French  Official  Photo. 

A  HOUSE  REPAIRED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 


QUIMPER,    BRITTANY 

Twenty-five     hundred     refugees     were     housed      in      these 

barracks. 


ORGANIZATION  157 

Meanwhile,  both  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
and  the  Senate  appointed  various  committees 
to  consider  liberated-regions  problems  and  an 
interparliamentary  committee  was  formed, 
composed  of  all  the  Senators  and  Deputies 
from  the  invaded  and  liberated  departments. 
They  acted  as  a  liaison  and  interpreter  between 
their  constituents  and  the  Government. 

Early  in  1917  the  Minister  of  the  Interior 
extended  his  service  of  reconstitution,  organiz- 
ing a  technical  bureau  for  repairing  damaged 
buildings  and  for  the  manufacturing  of  port- 
able houses.  Meanwhile,  despite  the  fact  that 
the  war-indemnity  bill  had  not  been  voted,  he 
was  allowed  to  make  advances  to  returning 
refugees  on  account  of  their  eventual  indemni- 
ties. 

For  rebuilding,  these  advances  were  not  al- 
lowed to  exceed  50  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  the 
destroyed  buildings  before  the  war.  Small  ad- 
vances were  made  to  farmers  for  the  things 
they  needed  to  get  for  their  farms;  and  ad- 
vances were  made  to  householders  for  furniture 
and  tools.  Wherever  possible,  however,  the 
Government  provided  the  articles  themselves 
instead  of  advancing  the  cash. 


158  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

In  the  spring  of  1917,  with  the  German  re- 
treat, five  special  sous-prefets  were  appointed, 
each  to  take  a  specified  part  of  the  devastated 
regions  from  which  the  Germans  had  just  been 
driven  out,  and  to  devote  all  of  his  energy  to 
relief  and  reestablishment. 

In  August,  1917,  the  French  Parliament 
voted  two  credits,  each  of  100,000,000  francs — 
one  to  the  Ministry  of  Commerce  for  the  pur- 
chase of  machinery  and  material  needed  to  re- 
establish industry  in  the  liberated  regions,  and 
the  other  to  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  for 
the  purchase  of  implements,  animals,  seed,  fer- 
tilizer, fruit-trees,  and  even  tractors,  to  help 
agricultural  reconstitution. 

In  the  summer  of  1917  a  special  technical 
service  for  reconstruction  and  for  putting  the 
soil  back  into  condition  for  use  was  created  in 
the  Ministry  of  Public  Works.  This  service 
took  over  various  of  the  functions  heretofore 
exercised  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior. 

In  November,  1917,  it  had  become  so  obvious 
that  there  must  be  a  single  head  and  direction 
for  all  of  the  civilian  work  in  the  liberated  re- 
gions that  the  Government  created  a  special 
ministry  to  handle  it,  with  Monsieur  Lebrun 


ORGANIZATIOlSr  159 

at  its  head.  It  was  called  the  Ministere  du 
Blocus  et  des  Regions  Liberees.  The  minister 
was  expected  to  handle  the  problems  of  the  war 
blockade  as  well  as  those  of  the  liberated  re- 
gions. 

For  convenience  of  handling,  the  work  in 
the  hberated  regions  was  divided  into  four  ser- 
vices : 

(1)  The  Administrative  Service,  which 
handled  all  secretarial  matters,  such  as  person- 
nel, accounting,  etc. ;  also  the  reorganization  of 
local  life,  which  included  relief,  bringing  back 
the  refugees,  reorganizing  public  services  and 
public  health,  coordination  of  the  work  of  pri- 
vate relief  societies,  and  the  appraisal  of  war 
damages,  including  the  payment  of  advances 
on  these  damages. 

( 2 )  A  Technical  Service,  which  included  the 
providing  of  temporary  shelters,  barracks,  and 
building-materials ;  the  repairing  of  local  roads, 
water-supply,  sewage,  gas,  and  improvement 
in  the  lay-out  of  the  town;  the  preparing  for 
permanent  reconstruction,  including  the  im- 
provement of  town  plans,  sanitation,  etc. ;  and 
also  putting  the  soil  back  into  condition  for  use 


160         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

by  filling  up  the  trenches  and  shell-holes  and 
by  the  construction  of  farm-buildings. 

(3)  An  Agricultural  Service,  called  the 
Office  de  Reconstitution  Agricole,  which  made 
advances  to  returning  farmers,  of  cattle,  imple- 
ments, seeds,  and  fertihzer,  and  sometimes  of 
money. 

(4)  The  Industrial  Service,  called  the  Office 
de  Reconstitution  Industrielle,  which  bought 
raw  materials,  tools,  machinery,  and  other 
things  needed  in  starting  up  industrial  plants 
in  the  hberated  regions  and  which  in  turn  ceded 
them  against  eventual  war  indemnities  to  the 
manufacturers  of  the  region. 

The  Administrative  Service  took  over  the 
Bureau  of  Reconstitution  from  the  Ministry  of 
the  Interior.  The  Technical  Service  took  over 
the  Reconstruction  Bureau  that  had  been  in 
operation  in  the  Ministry  of  Public  Works. 
The  Agricultural  Service  took  its  functions 
from  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture.  The  In- 
dustrial Service  took  its  functions  from  the 
Ministry  of  Commerce.  Budget  allowances  in 
these  four  other  ministries  were  turned  over  to 
the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions. 


ORGANIZATION  161 

With  the  signing  of  the  armistice  and  the 
opening  up  on  a  vast  scale  of  the  work  in  the 
devastated  regions,  three  important  changes  of 
organization  took  place:  First,  the  appoint- 
ment of  Monsieur  Mauclere  as  Commissioner- 
General  to  work  in  the  Ministry  of  Liberated 
Regions  in  direct  collaboration  with  the  minis- 
ter; second,  the  decree  of  November  26,  1918, 
which  changed  the  Ministry  of  Armament  into 
a  Ministry  of  Industrial  Reconstitution;  and 
third,  the  creation  of  an  interministerial  com- 
mission presided  over  by  M.  Louis  Revault, 
which  was  charged  with  coordinating  the  rela- 
tionship and  projects  of  the  various  interested 
ministries  with  regard  to  all  urgency  work  in 
the  liberated  regions. 

As  for  the  first  of  these  changes,  the  Admin- 
istrative Service  described  above  continues  to 
be  directly  under  the  minister.  Monsieur  Le- 
brun,  at  Paris.  But  the  other  services  are  now 
directly  under  the  commissioner-general,  who 
acts  as  a  general  manager  for  the  ministry. 
All  of  the  Industrial  Service  has  been  taken 
over  by  the  Ministry  of  Industrial  Reconsti- 
tution; and  the  other  services  under  the  com- 
missioner-general are  regrouped  as  follows: 


162         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

(1)  Agricultural  Service,  called  the  Office 
de  Reconstitution  Agricole,  under  the  direction 
of  Monsieur  Le  Seigneur. 

(2)  A  Service  of  Urgency  Work,  called  the 
Service  des  Travaux  de  Premiere  Urgence,  un- 
der Monsieur  Sillard  and  Monsieur  Despag- 
nat. 

(3)  A  Labor  Service,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Charles. 

(4)  A  Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruc- 
tion, under  Colonel  Suquet.  (With  the  resig- 
nation of  Colonel  Suquet  on  July  1,  1919,  this 
service  was  divided  into  two  parts — Urban 
Reconstruction,  under  Monsieur  Chifflot, 
and  Rural  Reconstruction,  under  Monsieur 
Maitrot. 

(5)  A  Service  of  Transportation,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Girard. 

( 6 )  A  Service  of  Materials,  under  Monsieur 
Porche. 

(7)  A  Real  Estate  Service.' 

The  general  administrative  services  under 
the  comptroller-general,  Monsieur  Chocarne, 
cover  a  wide  range.  He  is  indirectly  respon- 
sible for  the  army  of  people  working  for  the 


ORGANIZATION  163 

ministry  (over  300,000  in  all)  ;  but  he  is  partic- 
ularly interested  in  the  reestablishment  of  nor- 
mal local  life  in  the  liberated  regions;  seeing 
that  local  government  is  reestablished  and  that 
there  are  police  and  health  services  throughout 
the  devastated  regions  as  soon  as  the  popula- 
tion returns;  officially  opening  up  the  de- 
stroyed villages  for  the  return  of  the  refugees 
just  as  soon  as  they  can  be  taken  care  of;  and 
helping  the  rehef  societies  and  various  local  re- 
lief committees  to  work  effectively  without 
treading  on  one  another's  toes.  At  the  end  of 
June,  1919,  out  of  3,400  communes  in  the  lib- 
erated regions  already  2,620  have  reestablished 
a  local  administration. 

For  example,  in  the  department  of  the 
Somme,  up  to  April  1,  1919,  204  communes 
were  functioning.  In  137  of  these  the  pre-war 
mayor  had  already  come  back;  in  26  more  the 
assistant-mayor  was  acting  as  mayor;  and  in 
41  more  a  municipal  counselor  was  acting  as 
mayor.  One  hundred  and  two  local  police 
had  come  back;  107  schools  had  already  been 
opened  and  many  school-teachers  were  back  for 
whom  no  place  in  which  to  teach  was  available. 

On  July  11,  there  was  a  congress  of  mayors 


164         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

of  the  department  of  the  Somme,  at  which  350 
mayors  were  present.  They  reported  that  out 
of  280,000  inhabitants  in  their  communes  be- 
fore the  war,  already  130,500  had  come  back. 
They  particularly  insisted  that  the  Govern- 
ment should  give  priority  in  every  way  in  all 
of  its  services  to  the  devastated  regions. 

One  of  the  most  important  things  that  the 
administrative  service  of  the  Ministry  of  Lib- 
erated Regions  has  to  look  out  for  is  the  health 
of  returning  refugees.  The  Germans  have  de- 
stroyed or  filled  up  most  of  the  wells.  A  man 
told  me  that  he  was  digging  in  a  field  in  the 
devastated  regions  and,  to  his  surprise,  came 
across  a  cement  pipe.  He  followed  it  up  and 
found  that  one  end  of  it  emptied  into  a  com- 
munity well,  down  below  the  water-level;  the 
other  end  opened  into  a  large  sewage  vault, 
so  that  as  soon  as  the  liquid  in  the  vault  rose  to 
a  certain  level  it  would  automatically  flow  di- 
rectly into  the  well.  This  diabolical  con- 
trivance would  never  have  been  discovered 
except  by  accident.  An  advisory  health  com- 
mission of  leading  French  sanitarians  meets 
every  two  weeks  at  the  Ministry  of  Liberated 
Regions  to  consider  the  health  problems  in  the 


ORGANIZATION  165 

devastated  towns.  Their  recommendations 
are  put  into  efiPect  by  the  Service  of  Urgency- 
Work.  This  service  has  a  sanitary  inspector 
and  a  public-health  nurse  in  each  department 
who  are  making  constant  inspection  trips.  In 
addition  it  has  a  corps  of  nurses  in  the  Nord 
who  are  looking  after  the  health  of  the  school- 
children. 

Until  after  the  armistice  returning  refugees 
were  obliged  to  have  their  passes  signed  both  by 
the  mayor  or  the  prefet  of  their  home  locality 
and  by  that  of  the  place  where  they  were  stay- 
ing as  refugees.  But  since  that  time  one  after 
another  the  devastated  towns  have  been  opened 
up  and  the  refugees  have  flocked  back  as  fast 
as  they  could  find  a  place  in  which  to  live. 
Refugees  are  brought  back  free  to  their  homes 
and  they  may  bring  free  from  150  to  165 
pounds  of  baggage  with  them  for  each  member 
of  the  family ;  they  also  are  allowed  to  bring  free 
by  freight  10  tons  of  household  goods.  Up  to 
June  1,  1919,  over  3,000,000  people  had  lo- 
cated in  the  liberated  regions  out  of  a  total  of 
nearly  5,000,000  before  the  war.  There  were 
still  between  1,350,000  and  1,500,000  refugees 
in  the  interior  pf  France,  80  to  85  per  cent,  of 


166         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

whom  were  ready  to  return  if  only  they  could 
be  assured  of  a  place  to  live  and  a  means  of 
sustaining  themselves  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions ;  but  as  the  homes  of  over  2,000,000  peo- 
ple have  been  destroyed  and  as  there  is  very 
little  means  of  earning  a  livelihood  in  the  lib- 
erated regions,  except  by  cultivating  the  farms 
where  the  ground  has  been  put  back  into  shape 
for  use,  the  majority  of  the  refugees  prefer  to 
wait  a  little  longer  in  the  interior. 

A  great  deal  of  relief  work  has  been  neces- 
sary, as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Govern- 
ment has  already  spent  over  200,000,000  francs 
for  this  purpose,  in  addition  to  the  enormous 
sums  spent  by  private  relief  organizations. 

The  Administrative  Service  started  on  July 
21,  1919,  the  publication  of  a  weekly  official 
"Bulletin  des  Regions  Liberees."  All  govern- 
ment acts  affecting  the  regions  and  official  an- 
swers to  questions  make  it  a  full  and  most  use- 
ful paper. 

The  appraisal  and  payment  of  war  damages 
is  destined  to  be  an  enormous  undertaking. 
During  the  first  six  months  of  1919  the  Gov- 
ernment assigned  credits  to  the  prefets  total- 
ing 753,500,000  francs  to  meet  the  demands 


ORGANIZATION  167 

for  advances  against  these  damages.  Mon- 
sieur Bluzet,  the  director  of  this  service,  told 
me  that  up  to  July  1,  1919,  the  Government 
had  advanced  over  500,000,000  francs  on  this 
account.  Already  several  million  applications 
have  been  filed  for  indemnities  of  one  sort  or 
another;  for  reconstruction  of  buildings,  for 
the  reestablishment  of  agriculture,  industry, 
commerce,  or  a  profession,  for  furniture,  tools, 
personal  effects,  stocks  and  bonds,  and  even  for 
goods  stolen  or  fines  imposed  by  the  Germans. 
With  the  passage  of  the  war-indemnity  bill 
on  April  17,  1919,  steps  were  immediately 
taken  to  organize  the  cantonal  commissions, 
which  would  appraise  and  assess  all  war  dam- 
ages. Nearly  650  of  these  commissions  have 
been  created;  400  of  them  are  officially  open- 
ing for  work  on  dates  varying  from  July  1  to 
August  1.  The  larger  cities  have  a  number  of 
commissions ;  in  Rheims,  for  instance,  there  are 
already  eight  commissions,  with  the  prospect 
of  more.  According  to  the  law,  advances  are 
to  be  made  as  the  work  proceeds,  but  if  the  to- 
tal building  costs  more  than  the  amount  al- 
lowed by  the  commission,  the  balance  is  paid 


168  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

by  the  owner.  All  kinds  of  damages  are 
passed  upon  by  these  commissions,  even  those 
that  interest  primarily  other  ministries. 

The  Agricultural  Service  is  in  close  touch 
with  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture.  During 
1917,  after  the  German  retreat,  the  Ministry  of 
Agriculture,  with  its  tractor  service,  plowed 
more  than  80,000  acres  of  the  released  land. 
The  French  Army  plowed  about  12,000  acres, 
while  the  British  Army  plowed  about  50,000. 
At  that  time  the  French  Government  owned 
about  800  tractors  and  had  on  order  over  1,500 
more.  Some  of  these  were  lost  with  the  Ger- 
man advance  in  the  spring  of  1918,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1919  there  were  over  1,500  available. 

During  the  German  retreat  in  the  summer 
and  autumn  of  1918,  wheat  was  cut  on  130,000 
acres  of  released  land.  In  this  work  nearly 
17,000  men,  chiefly  soldiers,  were  employed. 
Most  of  this  work  was  done  by  the  Ministry  of 
Agriculture.  Meanwhile  the  Agricultural 
Service  of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions 
is  using  its  credit  of  300,000,000  francs  and  its 
revolving  fund  of  100,000,000  francs,  to  buy 
materials  and  to  make  advances  to  the  return- 
ing farmers.    An  extra  credit  of  100,000,000 


ORGANIZATION  169 

francs  was  voted  to  it  on  June  30,  1919.  By- 
last  April  32,000  horses  had  actually  been  de- 
livered in  the  devastated  regions;  52,000  have 
been  bought  from  the  American  Army,  60  per 
cent,  of  which  have  been  sent  to  the  devastated 
regions.  Many  thousands  more  are  coming 
from  the  French  Army.  Up  to  June  20, 1919, 
61,845  horses  and  mules  had  been  delivered 
and  56,800  were  on  the  way.  Also  38,650 
head  of  cattle  and  sheep  were  delivered  or  on 
the  way.  To  bring  farming  to  where  it  was, 
167,000  tons  of  seed,  1,000,000  tons  of  seed 
potatoes,  212,000  tons  of  fertilizer  are  needed; 
9,364  tons  of  fertilizer  had  been  delivered  by 
July  1, 1919.  Up  to  July  1, 1919, 104,500,000 
francs  had  been  spent  for  animals,  implements, 
seed,  and  fertilizer  for  the  devastated  regions. 
These  objects  are  ceded  to  the  refugees  by 
means  of  local  societies,  called  Societes  Tiers 
Mandataires,  organized  by  the  Government. 
The  societies  are  receiving  advances  from  the 
Agricultural  Service  of  the  ministry,  from 
200,000  to  800,000  francs  each,  depending  on 
the  area  they  cover. 

Meanwhile  the  Government  is  making  ad- 
yances  to  farmers,  of  400  francs  per  acre,  to 


170         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

help  them  put  their  land  under  cultivation. 
Of  this  240  francs  is  in  the  form  of  cattle, 
implements,  or  materials,  and  the  other  160 
francs  in  cash.  They  have  found  that  if  they 
give  a  larger  proportion  of  cash  the  farmer 
does  not  put  it  back  into  his  land,  and  therefore 
land  is  not  put  back  under  cultivation  as  fast 
as  it  should  be.  On  the  other  hand,  they  have 
found  that  with  prices  as  they  are  to-day  it 
costs  nearer  1,200  francs  per  acre  to  reestab- 
lish a  farm  on  a  good  productive  basis.  Farm 
animals  are  very  difficult  to  get;  and  the 
farmer  is  in  no  hurry  to  stock  up,  because  he 
hopes  prices  will  come  down  and  that  later  he 
will  get  more  for  his  money. 

There  is  an  interesting  side-light  on  the  war 
damages  which  many  canny  farmers  have  dis- 
covered: If  the  commission  that  awards  dam- 
ages decides  that  a  man  has  lost  100,000  francs 
(which  at  present  prices  means  300,000  francs) 
and  then  if  prices  fall  later  so  that  it  will  cost 
only  150,000  francs  to  replace  his  losses,  the 
proprietor  has  not  the  right  to  put  the  differ- 
ence in  his  pocket;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
can  put  it  into  a  better  type  of  machine  or  a 
higher  grade  of  cattle. 


ORGANIZATIOlSr  171 

To  provide  fodder  for  farm  animals,  the 
Government  has  created  depots  in  a  number  of 
farm  centers  where  the  fodder  necessary  for  a 
district  is  accumulated,  and  once  a  month  the 
farmers  come  and  get  their  ration  of  fodder  for 
a  month  at  a  time. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1917  the 
Agricultural  Service  founded  in  the  Somme, 
the  Aisne,  the  Oise,  and  the  Pas-de-Calais,  over 
120  agricultural  cooperative  societies  in  as 
many  villages.  These  usually  included  most 
of  the  farmers  in  a  village;  all  told,  they  had 
nearly  100,000  acres  of  land  under  cultivation. 
Then  came  the  German  advance  in  the  spring 
of  1918,  and  all  of  them  were  wiped  out. 
Since  the  armistice  the  Government  has  been 
trying  to  reorganize  these  cooperative  societies 
and  start  new  ones,  but,  strange  to  say,  with 
comparatively  little  success.  On  the  other 
hand,  agricultural  syndicates  are  being  formed 
everywhere.  The  difference  between  the  co- 
operative societies  and  the  syndicates  is  that  in 
the  cooperative  society  the  members  pool  their 
land,  cultivating  it  in  common,  and  dividing 
up  the  profits  or  losses  pro  rata.  In  the  syndi- 
cate, on  the  other  hand,  each  man  cultivates  his 


172  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

own  land  and  makes  what  profit  he  can  from  it; 
but  the  members  of  the  syndicate  treat  for  the 
purchase  of  animals,  tractors,  implements, 
seed,  and  fertilizer  in  common. 

The  Agricultural  Service  is  doing  a  partic- 
ularly valuable  work  in  repairing  great  quanti- 
ties of  broken  machines  and  implements  which 
the  Germans  have  left  in  the  liberated  regions. 
Nearly  6,000  machines  had  been  repaired  up 
to  July  4, 1919.  In  each  department  the  Gov- 
ernment has  one  or  more  large  repair  shops  and 
assembling  plants,  where  all  new  machines  are 
sent  in  to  be  mounted,  as  well  as  old  machines 
to  be  repaired.  In  addition  the  Government 
is  encouraging  private  enterprise  along  the 
same  line.  In  the  Somme,  for  example,  there 
are  already  six  or  seven  private  repair  shops. 
Up  to  July  4,  1919,  about  27,000  machines 
had  been  brought  back  from  Germany  and  dis- 
tributed in  the  North.  Meanwhile  the  Agri- 
cultural Service  has  ordered  about  430,000  im- 
plements and  machines,  of  which  about  125,000 
had  been  delivered  by  July  4. 

The  Government  batteries  of  tractors  are 
owned  and  operated  by  the  Ministry  of  Agri- 
culture, but  the  Agricultural  Seirice  of  the 


ORGANIZATION  173 

Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  determines 
where  they  are  most  needed.  Preference  is 
given  to  agricultural  syndicates  or  cooperative 
societies.  These  pay  37  francs  an  acre  for 
plowing,  which  is  charged  up  against  the 
eventual  war  indenmity. 

Many  farmers  and  farming  societies  are  buy- 
ing tractors.  Eight  hundred  and  eighty  have 
been  obtained  through  the  Government.  One 
hundred  and  twenty  have  been  bought  in  the 
department  of  the  Somme  alone.  The  owner 
pays  only  half,  the  balance  being  charged  up 
against  the  war  indenmity.  The  price  of  gas- 
olene is  about  4  fr.  50  a  gallon. 

In  the  Somme  about  500,000  acres  of  land 
have  been  seriously  affected  by  the  war.  This 
year  fully  125,000  acres  are  being  put  back 
under  cultivation,  which  is  about  half  of  the 
area  that  is  cleared  up,  ready  for  use.  The 
rest  can't  be  put  back  into  use  until  proper 
shelters  can  be  provided  for  the  farmers. 

In  the  whole  department  of  the  Somme 
there  have  been  only  two  serious  accidents  so 
far  from  tractors  or  plows  striking  unexploded 
shells,  although  some  farmers  have  turned  up 
as  many  as  twenty  shells  a  day.     Since  Octo- 


174  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

ber,  only  four  people  have  been  killed  in  the 
Somme  by  explosions;  most  of  the  accidents 
have  been  from  hand-grenades. 

The  Forestry  Service  of  the  Ministry  of 
Agriculture  works  in  direct  collaboration  with 
the  Agricultural  Service  of  the  Ministry  of 
Liberated  Regions.  It  is  starting  tree-nurser- 
ies in  a  number  of  places  on  the  edge  of  the 
devastated  regions.  Large  numbers  of  seed- 
lings are  coming  from  America.  In  the 
Somme  alone  it  is  planning  to  forestate  about 
30,000  acres,  for  the  most  part  land  too  churned 
up  to  be  useful  for  agriculture. 

In  the  northern  departments  the  problem 
of  finding  wood  for  reconstruction  is  a  difficult 
one.  There  are  comparatively  few  forests, 
anyway,  and  in  the  best  of  these  the  trees  are 
so  full  of  shell  splinters  that  they  cannot  be 
sawed  up  for  lumber.  Most  of  the  wood  will 
have  to  come  from  outside. 

The  Service  of  Urgency  Work  ( Service  des 
Travaux  de  Premiere  Urgence)  was  organ- 
ized by  Monsieur  Mauclere  when  he  became 
conmiissioner-general.  It  was  felt  that  far 
and  away  the  most  important  thing  in  the 


ORGANIZATION  176 

devastated  regions  was  to  make  it  possible  for 
the  farmers  to  return  home  and  to  start  culti- 
vating their  land  again.  It  was  felt  to  be 
vitally  important  for  France  as  a  whole  that 
as  large  crops  as  possible  should  be  raised  dur- 
ing 1919.  It  was  to  concentrate  on  this  idea 
that  the  Service  of  Urgency  Work  was  cre- 
ated. The  main  organization  of  this  service 
and  the  size  and  distribution  of  its  personnel 
was  outlined  in  the  chapter  on  Public  Relief. 

Theoretically  it  does  only  work  that  is 
needed  immediately,  emergency  work.  But  it 
does  act  also  as  a  contractor  for  carrying  out 
the  projects  determined  by  the  architectural 
and  engineering  services,  even  where  these  run 
into  fairly  permanent  building  or  public  works 
repairs  and  the  construction  of  semi-permanent 
huts. 

The  whole  work  is  highly  organized  on  lines 
which  combine  the  best  features  of  the  organi- 
zation of  a  big  contracting  company  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  Army  Engineering  Corps  on 
the  other.  The  director  of  the  work  in  each  de- 
partment is  virtually  autonomous,  and  he  in 
turn  divides  his  department  into  several  sectors 


176  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

according  to  the  amount  of  work  to  be  done; 
each  sector  in  turn  being  cut  up  into  a  number 
of  divisions. 

The  great  effort  of  the  Service  of  Urgency 
Work  is  concentrated  on  clearing  the  fields  of 
unexploded  shells  and  grenades,  removing  the 
barbed  wire  and  filling  up  the  trenches  and 
shell-holes.  Almost  all  of  this  work,  especially 
the  dangerous  part  of  it,  is  being  done  by  180,- 
000  German  prisoners  working  under  French 
guards. 

The  German  prisoners  work  directly  under 
the  French  Army  and  they  are  paid  0  fr.  40  a 
day,  plus  their  food  and  lodging.  The  82,000 
French  civilians  are  almost  all  of  them  work- 
ing for  French  contractors  who  have  been 
awarded  clean-up  jobs  as  the  lowest  bidders  in 
open  competitions.  The  French  civilian  em- 
ployees in  the  Somme,  for  example,  are  paid 
from  1  fr.  20  to  1  fr.  60  an  hour,  everything 
included;  in  the  Pas-de-Calais  the  men  are 
paid  1  fr.  a  cubic  meter  (a  little  more  than  a 
cubic  yard)  for  filling  trenches  and  shell-holes; 
men  make  from  8  frs.  to  18  frs.  a  day,  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  soil.  Colonial  troops 
are  paid  6  frs.  a  day  and  it  costs  4  frs.  a  day  to 


ORGANIZATION  177 

feed  them,  lodge  them,  and  look  after  them,  or 
a  total  of  10  frs.  a  day.  Where  German  pris- 
oners are  loaned  to  civilians  to  work  directly 
for  them,  the  civihans  are  charged  7  fr.  90  a  day 
per  prisoner,  all  of  which  is  charged  against 
their  eventual  indemnity.  In  a  contract  in  the 
Somme  in  June,  the  contractor  was  to  receive 
from  the  State  1  fr.  75  a  cubic  meter  for  filling 
trenches  and  shell-holes  where  he  did  not  have 
to  bring  his  material  more  than  fifty  yards,  and 
3  frs.  a  cubic  meter  where  he  had  to  bring  it 
more  than  fifty  yards.  For  clearing  away 
barbed  wire  he  was  to  be  paid  0  fr.  20  for  ten 
square  feet,  his  work  to  include  depositing  the 
barbed  wire  along  the  edge  of  the  nearest  road- 
way. This  cleaning-up  work  will  be  virtually 
finished  by  autumn  as  far  as  the  State  is  con- 
cerned, because  the  farmers  can  clear  up  their 
own  ground  during  the  winter,  and  do  it  better, 
and  at  a  lower  price  than  the  State  is  now  pay- 
ing. 

The  Service  of  Urgency  Work  is  encourag- 
ing the  farmers  and  others  to  group  themselves 
in  syndicates  or  cooperative  societies  to  do  their 
own  clearing-up  work,  and  it  allows  them  the 
same  current  rate  that  it  allows  to  contractors. 


178         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

The  town  of  Villers-Carbonnel,  in  the  Somme, 
is  probably  the  first  town  to  organize  a  clear- 
ing-up  cooperative  society.  In  the  meantime 
the  reconstruction  cooperative  societies  are  de- 
voting their  energies  to  this  while  waiting  to 
start  reconstruction. 

The  unexploded  shells  and  hand-grenades 
all  through  the  devastated  regions  present  a 
most  serious  problem.  The  Service  of  Ur- 
gency Work,  in  collaboration  with  the  Army 
Engineering  Corps,  has  circulated  detailed  in- 
structions for  the  disposing  of  this  material. 
In  a  circular  of  April  19,  1919,  instructions 
were  given  that  all  gas-shells  should  be  buried 
a  least  seven  feet  deep  and  as  far  as  possible 
from  houses,  wells,  or  brooks.  Elaborate  in- 
structions are  given  also  for  the  explosion  of 
other  shells  and  grenades.  Most  of  the  acci- 
dents that  have  occurred  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions came  from  carelessness  and  curiosity  on 
the  part  of  civilians.  Full  warnings  are 
posted  everywhere  to  caution  people  against 
taking  risks. 

The  next  big  problem  of  the  Service  of  Ur- 
gency Work  is  sheltering  the  returning  popu- 
lation.    In  the  Somme,  for  example,  about  a 


ORGANIZATION  179 

thousand  French  workmen  are  making  rough 
repairs  to  the  buildings  that  can  most  easily 
be  made  habitable.  A  number  of  other  repair 
jobs  have  been  given  out  to  local  contractors; 
in  fact,  every  individual  who  will  repair  his 
own  house  or  who  can  build  a  hut  for  himself  is 
in  every  way  encouraged  to  do  so.  These 
rough  repairs  are  made  gratuitously  by  the 
Government  on  the  principle  that  with  so  much 
urgency  work  to  do  no  one  can  afford  the  time 
to  do  permanent  repairing  or  reconstruction. 
After  his  trip  to  the  liberated  regions  in  July, 
1919,  Monsieur  Clemenceau  said  that  the  most 
urgent  matter  was  to  provide  adequate  shelter 
there,  before  winter,  for  200,000  persons. 

The  service  also  puts  up  barracks  and  port- 
able houses  that  have  been  furnished  to  it  by 
the  Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruction. 
About  5,000  of  these  have  already  been 
mounted.  In  addition,  on  July  10,  1919,  the 
Service  of  Urgency  Work  called  for  bids  on 
the  construction  of  one  hundred  semi-perma- 
nent huts  at  St.  Quentin,  from  materials  taken 
from  the  ruins.  On  July  13  it  asked  for  an- 
other group  to  be  erected  near  Chateau- 
Thierry.     In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to 


180  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

recall  that  the  French  Government  decided  on 
December  12,  1918,  that  all  the  materials  that 
come  out  of  the  ruins  belong  to  the  Government 
and  the  Government  only. 

The  great  problem  still  before  the  Service  of 
Urgency  Work  is  clearing  away  the  ruins  of 
the  destroyed  buildings.  It  was  estimated 
that  this  alone  is  going  to  cost  over  2,000,000,- 
000  francs.  So  far  the  service  itself  does  no 
systematic  clearing,  but  on  the  request  of  the 
mayor  it  has  often  loaned  some  of  its  German 
prisoners  or  other  workmen  to  individuals 
where  they  had  to  have  a  site  cleared  away  in 
order  to  reestablish  themselves.  In  a  few 
places — as  at  Bethune,  Arras,  Lens,  Ham, 
Rheims,  etc. — contracts  have  already  been  let 
for  the  clearing  away  of  ruins,  and  contracts 
are  being  let  at  Lille,  St.  Quentin,  Albert, 
Soissons,  and  Verdun.  In  fact,  the  work  at 
Bethune  is  already  well  advanced.  At  Arras 
the  contractors  have  tried  doing  the  work  with 
an  English  steam  shovel,  but  so  far  contractors 
have  preferred  to  do  all  the  work  by  hand  on 
account  of  the  complicated  mixture  of  mate- 
rials in  the  cellar-holes.  A  commission  goes 
over  the  ruins  before  thev  are  cleared  away  and 


ORGANIZATION  181 

decides  just  what  standing  walls  should  be 
kept.  If  it  were  not  for  this,  it  would  be  easy 
to  blow  up  all  of  the  standing  walls  and  then 
dig  out  everything  at  once  with  mechanical  ap- 
pliances. 

There  is  another  complication,  however,  and 
that  is  the  unexploded  ammunition  that  one 
often  finds  in  the  ruins.  In  Lens  a  man  a  day 
has  been  killed  in  the  clearing-up  process,  in 
most  cases,  however,  through  carelessness. 

The  most  interesting  example  of  the  clear- 
ing away  of  the  ruins  is  the  recent  case  at 
Rheims :  A  typical  portion  of  the  city,  about 
one  tenth  of  its  area,  was  let  out  to  bid  to  con- 
tractors from  anywhere  in  France.  About 
forty  sent  in  estimates  to  the  Service  of  Ur- 
gency Work,  stating  how  much  they  demanded 
over  or  under  the  unit  price  schedule  fixed  by 
the  Government.  The  Government  said  that 
it  considered  the  general  run  of  material  in  the 
ruins  to  be  worth  10  francs  a  cubic  meter 
carted  away  and  dumped  where  designated  by 
the  city.  Then  it  named  a  number  of  different 
kinds  of  material  that  could  be  sorted  out  from 
the  mass  and  said  that  for  each  cubic  meter  of 
stone  sorted  out  it  considered  45  francs  a  fair 


182  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

price ;  for  each  thousand  bricks  with  the  plaster 
scraped  off,  30  francs;  for  steel  and  iron,  70 
francs  a  ton;  and  for  lead  or  zinc  400  to  500 
francs  a  ton.  The  contract  was  let  to  the  low- 
est bidder,  who  offered  to  do  the  work  for  27 
per  cent,  less  than  the  government  estimate. 
The  contract  was  let  on  April  17,  1919,  and  he 
has  a  year  in  which  to  do  the  work.  Mean- 
while the  government  engineers  are  watching 
the  work  very  closely  to  determine  on  what 
basis  they  should  let  similar  contracts  generally 
in  other  cities  in  the  devastated  regions. 

A  hst  of  towns  has  been  prepared  for  clear- 
ing up  in  the  order  of  their  relative  urgency, 
the  manufacturing  towns  being  placed  first  on 
the  list. 

Another  important  job  of  the  Service  of 
Urgency  Work  is  the  repairing  or  construct- 
ing of  new  narrow-gage  railways.  The  serv- 
ice has  made  a  thorough  survey  of  the  circu- 
lation of  trucks  and  the  need  of  materials  in  the 
devastated  regions,  and  it  is  preparing  to  lay 
down  narrow-gage  railways  along  all  lines  of 
heavy  traffic,  as  the  railways  can  be  operated 
more  cheaply  than  motor-trucks. 

The    Service    of    Urgency   Work    is    also 


ORGANIZATION  183 

charged  with  the  sanitary  work  in  the  devas- 
tated regions.  If  the  medical  and  sanitary  in- 
spector attached  to  the  Service  of  Permanent 
Reconstruction,  or  to  the  Administrative  Serv- 
ice of  the  Ministry,  says  that  a  well  should  be 
cleaned  out,  or  that  a  cistern  should  be  emptied, 
or  that  chloride  of  lime  should  be  spread  about, 
or  that  a  swamp  should  be  filled  up  to  get  rid 
of  mosquitos,  it  is  the  Service  of  Urgency 
Work  that  has  to  carry  out  the  order.  Wher- 
ever possible  the  work  is  let  out  by  contract; 
otherwise  the  service  does  it  directly  with  its 
own  labor.  Already  hundreds  of  wells  have 
been  put  back  into  use.  Privy  vaults  are 
usually  cleaned  out  by  private  contractors. 

There  is  very  little  more  to  be  said  about  the 
Labor  Service  than  has  been  said.  The  re- 
cruiting and  control  of  labor  is  a  great  prob- 
lem in  itself.  It  will  become  an  even  more  dif- 
ficult problem  with  the  return  of  the  German 
prisoners  to  Germany,  although  more  and 
more  the  work  will  be  done  by  private  initia- 
tive and  private  contracts,  and  the  State  will 
be  rid  of  the  necessity  of  finding  the  required 
labor.  Each  local  service  and  each  contractor, 
cooperative  society,  or  individual  that  needs 


184  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

labor  sends  in  its  demand  through  the  Service 
of  Urgency  Work. 

The  Transportation  Service  of  the  Ministry 
of  Liberated  Regions  is  a  most  essential  part 
of  the  organization.  Without  it  nothing  could 
function.  In  June,  1919,  the  minister  re- 
ported to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  that  he  was 
expending  9,300,000  francs  a  month  on  his 
transportation  service.  However,  this  service 
did  a  great  deal  of  work  in  the  devastated  re- 
gions for  other  ministries.  On  June  1,  1919, 
there  were  8,190  vehicles  of  all  sorts  working 
for  the  ministry.  There  were  6,633  chauffeurs 
and  mechanicians,  324  foremen,  and  165  men 
in  charge  of  the  different  services.  During  the 
month  of  May,  1919,  they  hauled  nearly  9,000,- 
000  ton  miles.  The  Transportation  Service  is 
trying  to  replace  its  heaviest  traffic  routes  by 
narrow-gage  railways  to  save  time  and  ex- 
pense. These  railways  are  to  be  built  by  the 
Service  of  Urgency  Work.  There  were  a 
great  many  of  these  narrow-gage  railways  in 
the  devatsated  regions  before  the  war  and  the 
German  Army  and  also  the  Allied  armies  built 
great  systems  of  them  for  war  purposes. 
Many  of  these  still  exist  in  a  more  or  less  dam- 


ORGANIZATION  185 

aged  condition,  but  in  order  to  serve  the  new 
needs  many  of  them  will  have  to  be  changed  to 
new  routes. 

The  Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruction  is 
the  important  service  of  the  future.  So  far  it 
has  done  little  more  than  make  plans,  control 
repairs,  order  the  construction  of  barracks  and 
portable  houses,  found  reconstruction  coopera- 
tive societies,  and  lay  in  stocks  of  material  for 
the  future.  This  last-named  duty  has  recently 
been  taken  away  from  it  and  organized  into  a 
new  service  called  the  Service  of  Materials. 

However,  it  is  this  service  that  is  the  logical 
successor  of  the  technical  service  of  reconstruc- 
tion that  used  to  be  in  the  Ministry  of  the  In- 
terior and  later  in  the  Ministry  of  Public 
Works,  which  conducted  all  of  the  govern- 
ment repair  work  in  the  Somme,  the  Aisne,  and 
the  Oise  in  1917.  That  service  had  about  a 
thousand  German  prisoners  and  a  thousand 
civilians  working  under  French  contractors 
during  the  better  part  of  that  year. 

To-day  the  Service  of  Permanent  Recon- 
struction is  responsible  for  all  permanent  re- 
building. Its  duty  is  to  coordinate  all  the  dif- 
ferent efforts,  to  direct  them,  to  watch  the  ap- 


186  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

plication  of  the  various  laws  affecting  rebuild- 
ing and  the  awarding  of  war  damages.  It  has 
three  main  sections.  The  first  is  in  close  touch 
with  the  Service  of  Urgency  Work,  furnishing 
it  with  portable  houses,  furniture,  hardware, 
windows,  doors,  and  trusses.  The  second  sec- 
tion has  to  do  with  the  eventual  reconstruction 
of  town  and  cities;  it  sees  to  the  preparing  of 
proper  improved  plans  for  the  towns,  and  in 
general  controls  building  and  the  use  of  ad- 
vances made  against  the  eventual  war  indemni- 
ties; it  encourages  the  creation  of  reconstruc- 
tion cooperative  societies.  A  third  section 
does  the  same  thing  for  rural  communities  and 
villages  that  the  preceding  section  does  for 
urban  communities. 

The  Permanent  Reconstruction  Service  has 
its  own  representative  in  each  department  with 
a  number  of  local  representatives  scattered 
throughout  the  department. 

During  1917  the  predecessor  of  the  service 
made  contracts  for  the  construction  of  about 
15,000  portable  houses  with  two  or  three  rooms 
and  a  shed,  and  also  for  several  thousand  farm- 
buildings.  The  houses  cost  from  3,700  to 
5,000  francs  apiece;  the  farm-buildings  cost 


ORGANIZATION  187 

from  1,000  to  4,500  francs  apiece.  These 
buildings  were  ceded  to  the  returning  refugees 
at  one  half  of  what  they  cost  the  Government, 
with  the  understanding  that  even  this  half  could 
be  charged  against  the  applicant's  eventual  war 
indemnity.  If  he  preferred,  he  could  lease  a 
house  at  amounts  varying  from  88  to  148 
francs  a  year,  and  where  he  could  not  even 
afford  that,  the  Government  would  pay  the 
rent.  The  farm-buildings  were  sold  only,  with 
the  expectation  that  they  would  be  made 
permanent  by  the  filling  in  of  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  uprights  of  the  frame  with  masonry 
or  other  durable  material. 

Between  3,000  and  4,000  portable  houses  had 
been  set  up  in  the  Somme,  the  Aisne,  and  the 
Oise  before  the  German  advance  in  the  spring 
of  1918.  When  the  Germans  were  swept  back 
in  the  late  summer  of  1918  it  was  found  that 
almost  all  of  these  buildings  had  been  de- 
stroyed. 

Now  75,000  portable  buildings  are  on  order. 
Already  about  10,000  of  them  have  been  sent 
to  the  devastated  regions.  About  4,500  of 
them  have  been  set  up  to  date  by  the  Service 
of  Urgency  Work.     They  cost  a  little  more 


188         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

now  because  of  the  higher  price  of  materials, 
the  range  for  the  houses  being  from  4,400 
francs  for  two  rooms  and  a  shed,  to  7,400  francs 
for  four  rooms  and  a  shed. 

On  March  17, 1918,  the  Reconstruction  Serv- 
ice of  the  ministry  asked  for  bids  on  various 
types  of  furniture,  including  wardrobes,  tables, 
chairs,  cupboards,  wooden  beds  and  iron  beds — 
75,000  articles  in  all.  These  were  allotted  to 
refugee  applicants  on  a  basis  of  245  francs 
for  the  wardrobe,  80  francs  for  the  cupboard, 
58  francs  for  a  table,  11  francs  for  a  chair,  and 
51  to  60  francs  for  a  bed — all  to  be  charged 
against  the  eventual  war  indemnity.  Since  the 
armistice  these  orders  have  been  greatly  in- 
creased and  government  contracts  for  war  ma- 
terials were  transformed  into  contracts  for 
refugee  furniture,  doors,  windows,  hardware, 
-etc. 

On  December  20,  1918,  bids  were  asked  for 
12,000  combination  school  tables  and  benches. 
On  April  10,  1919,  bids  were  asked  on  50,000 
iron  beds,  each  four  feet  wide.  On  July  23, 
1918,  the  Government  asked  for  bids  on  20,400 
exterior  doors,  42,000  interior  doors,  40,200 
windows,  and  25,000  shutters.     Since  the  ar- 


ORGANIZATION  189 

mistice  these  figures  have  been  increased  by 
orders  given  to  the  holders  of  war  contracts, 
so  that  now  110,000  standardized  windows  and 
90,000  standardized  doors  are  on  order.  A  lit- 
tle later  orders  were  placed  for  a  number  of 
wooden  trusses  of  standardized  sizes;  also,  for 
a  number  of  managers.  On  December  20, 
1918,  bids  were  asked  on  several  million  articles 
of  hardware  of  all  sorts  and  kinds.  There 
were  over  3,200,000  hinges  in  this  order.  On 
the  same  date  bids  were  asked  on  several  hun- 
dred thousand  faucets  and  other  plumbing- 
supplies. 

The  Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruction 
is  making  experiments  in  the  economizing  of 
materials  and  construction  in  rebuilding.  It 
has  erected  an  experimental  building  of  pise,, 
similar  to  adobe,  in  Paris,  to  see  what  recom- 
mendations should  be  made  with  regard  to  the 
use  of  the  material.  As  a  result  of  this  experi- 
ence an  interesting  pamphlet  has  been  pub- 
lished for  the  use  of  builders  in  the  devastated 
regions. 

The  service  also  has  been  studying  model 
house  and  farm-building  plans  for  the  devas- 
tated regions.     This  has  resulted  in  the  pub- 


190  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

lication,  in  collaboration  with  the  Ministry  of 
Agriculture,  of  two  volumes  entitled  ''Model 
Types  of  Agricultural  Buildings." 

In  general  there  is  very  little  permanent  re- 
building going  on  as  yet,  and  the  Government 
is  not  encouraging  it,  because  all  of  the  labor, 
transportation,  and  materials  available  are  not 
even  enough  to  supply  the  urgency  demands 
for  getting  the  fields  back  under  cultivation, 
sheltering  the  returning  refugees,  and  taking 
care  of  the  sanitation  of  the  communities.  Oc- 
casional individuals,  or  groups  of  individuals, 
have  gone  ahead  on  their  own  initiative  with 
permanent  rebuilding,  especially  some  of  the 
larger  manufacturers  who  could  proceed  with- 
out having  to  wait  for  their  war  indemnities. 
But  in  almost  every  case,  urgency  work  has 
been  given  priority  over  permanent  reconstruc- 
tion. 

In  preparing  for  reconstruction  on  a  big 
scale  the  great  need  is  for  a  central  service  in 
the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions,  which  can 
help  contractors  get  started  in  the  devastated 
regions,  pay  their  labor  until  they  begin  to 
receive  payment  on  their  contracts,  and  help 
lodge  and  feed  their  labor  in  the  devastated  re- 


ORGANIZATION  191 

gions;  and  which  can  also  provide  them  with 
the  machinery,  tools,  and  materials  needed  for 
wholesale  reconstruction.  Such  a  project  was 
adopted  by  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  on  May 
23,  1919,  which  carried  with  it  a  credit  of  300,- 
000,000  francs,  but  it  has  not  yet  been  voted 
on  by  the  Senate.  Until  something  of  this  sort 
is  put  into  effect  large-scale  reconstruction  will 
be  most  difficult. 

The  Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruction 
actively  encourages  the  creation  of  reconstruc- 
tion cooperative  societies,  because  experience 
has  shown  that  through  them  the  returning 
refugees  can  be  much  more  easily  dealt  with 
and  that  considerable  time  and  money  can  be 
saved  both  by  the  State  and  individuals  if  the 
latter  can  only  be  persuaded  to  reconstruct  co- 
operatively instead  of  separately.  To  help  in 
the  founding  of  these  societies  the  Service  of 
Permanent  Reconstruction  has  issued  a  model 
constitution  and  by-laws  for  societies  of  this 
sort  and  also  a  number  of  suggestions  for  their 
formation  and  operation.  It  gives  them  books 
to  keep  their  accounts  in,  an  account-book  for 
each  member,  and  from  time  to  time  sends 
an  inspector  around  to  verify  them.     Four  of 


192  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

these  were  formed  in  1916  in  the  department 
of  the  Marne,  in  villages  destroyed  in  1914. 
They  have  already  rebuilt  most  of  their  vil- 
lages and  their  experience  has  been  of  the 
gi-eatest  value  in  the  present  campaign. 

Replanning  the  devastated  towns  is  a  par- 
ticularly important  part  of  the  work  of  the 
Service  of  Permanent  Reconstruction.  The 
Government  started  to  take  hold  of  this  prob- 
lem nearly  three  years  ago,  when  in  a  circular 
letter  sent  to  the  prefets  of  the  invaded  de- 
partments on  September  27,  1916,  the  Min- 
ister of  the  Interior  instructed  them  to  study 
how  they  could  improve  the  plans  of  their 
towns.  He  told  them  that  there  were  three 
outstanding  things  that  should  be  considered: 
(1)  circulation  in  the  streets;  (2)  sanitation 
and  public  health;  (3)  the  esthetic  character  of 
the  town.  This  circular  was  particularly  in- 
sistent that  they  should  have  plans  made  at 
once  for  improved  street  alignment  and  grad- 
ing; if  this  could  be  done,  it  would  allow  the 
community  to  take  advantage  of  a  law  of  April 
5,  1884,  which  says  that  when  buildings  are 
demolished  or  when  they  have  fallen  in  ruins, 


ORGANIZATION  1»3 

they  must  conform  to  the  new  ahgnment  and 
grade  when  rebuilt,  and  the  town  has  to  pay 
only  for  the  land. 

In  a  circular  of  December  11, 1916,  the  Min- 
ister of  the  Interior  asked  the  prefets  to  start 
plans  even  for  communities  that  were  still  in 
the  hands  of  th^  enemy.  In  a  circular  of  No- 
vember 12,  1917,  he  again  urged  them  to  make 
these  plan^  and  to  report  to  him  by  December 
31,  1917,  what  they  had  done.  Unfortunately 
the  reports  brought  almost  no  results. 

Then  came  the  famous  town-planning  law 
of  March  14,  1919,  which  ordered  that  plans 
should  be  made  for  improving  all  devastated 
areas,  and  the  communes  were  given  three 
months  in  which  to  get  started.  On  March  15, 
1919,  the  Minister  of  Liberated  Regions  sent  a 
circular  to  the  prefets  of  the  liberated  depart- 
ments in  which  he  ordered  that  nothing  except 
temporary  shelters  be  built  without  the  consent 
of  the  departmental  town-planning  commis- 
sion, until  improved  town  plans  had  been 
made  and  put  into  effect.  The  services  of  the 
Bureau  of  Roads  and  Highways  of  the  Minis- 
try of  Public  Works  were  offered  for  making 


194         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

surveyors'  maps  of  the  towns,  because  the  maps 
of  most  of  the  towns  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
Germans. 

Each  commune  was  asked  to  consider  care- 
fully whether  or  not  it  might  be  desirable  to  re- 
move the  whole  town  or  some  part  of  the  town 
to  a  new  site.  In  any  case,  however,  it  was 
ordered  to  make  immediately  street-alignment 
and  grading  plans,  and  a  rough  general  plan 
for  the  improvement,  embellishment,  and  ex- 
tension of  the  whole  commune.  Furthermore, 
it  was  directed  to  establish  a  program  of  work 
in  the  order  of  relative  urgency  of  the  various 
things  to  be  done. 

The  plans  are  to  be  paid  for  by  the  State, 
but  each  commune  is  free  to  choose  its  own  ex- 
perts. The  Departmental  Town-Planning 
Commission  is  ready  to  give  advice  at  any  time. 
In  the  department  of  the  Nord  this  commis- 
sion, which  is  composed  of  seventy  members, 
held  its  first  meeting  on  June  4,  1919.  The 
other  departments  are  rapidly  getting  under 
way. 

To  help  the  communes  to  understand  a  little 
better  what  is  being  attempted,  the  Permanent 
Reconstruction  Service  has  issued  two  pam- 


ORGANIZATION  195 

phlets  describing  in  detail  the  problems  to  be 
considered.  One  pamphlet  deals  with  urban 
communities,  the  other  with  rural  communities. 
Special  stress  is  laid  on  sanitation. 

The  prefets  each  have  lists  of  accredited 
town-planning  experts  which  they  give  to  the 
communes  on  request. 

While  the  city  of  Lille  was  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  Germans  it  began  to  study  the  eventual 
improvement  of  its  plan,  and  collected  much 
necessary  preliminary  data.  Its  plans  are  now 
nearly  matured.  One  of  their  chief  features 
is  the  tearing  down  of  the  walls  all  around  the 
town.  This  will  give  the  city  six  hundred  acres 
of  parks  in  addition  to  the  sites  for  many 
houses  for  working-men. 

Plans  for  Revigny  and  Clermont-en-Ar- 
gonne,  in  the  Meuse,  were  made  back  in  1916. 
A  plan  for  Tracy-le-Val,  in  the  Oise,  and  stud- 
ies for  the  plans  of  Albert  and  Arras  were 
made  by  La  Renaissance  des  Cites  in  1917. 

For  Rheims,  since  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
architects,  engineers,  and  landscape  architects 
have  been  making  suggestions  as  to  how  it 
could  be  improved.  Since  the  armistice  the 
city  has  brought  together  and  put  on  exhibi- 


196  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

tion  nineteen  of  these  projects.  It  has  called 
in  some  of  the  best  experts  in  the  country  to 
tell  it  what  are  the  good  and  the  bad  features 
in  each  plan;  the  city  has  woven  all  of  these 
suggestions  together  and  presented  the  results 
to  the  citizens  for  their  approval.  At  the  end 
of  June,  1919,  the  city  adopted  the  plans  and 
notified  property-owners  that  they  must  not 
rebuild  except  in  conformity  with  them;  the 
plans  show  a  big  open  garden  behind  the 
cathedral,  the  widening  out  of  the  main  thor- 
oughfares, and  the  cutting  through  of  several 
new  cross-thoroughfares  to  handle  modern 
traffic;  they  also  show  the  creation  of  several 
big  new  industrial  districts  and  the  eventual 
creation  of  at  least  five  garden  suburbs  for 
working-men. 

Under  the  auspices  of  La  Renaissance  des 
Cites  the  city  of  Chauny,  the  principal  glass- 
manufacturing  city  of  the  devastated  regions, 
gave  twenty-five  thousand  francs  in  prizes  and 
opened  an  inter-allied  competition  for  an  im- 
proved town  plan.  A  number  of  interesting 
suggestions  were  presented  for  improving 
Chauny  by  preserving  the  charm  of  the  old 
town  and  at  the  same  time  adapting  it  to  mod- 


THE   WHOLE   TOWN    OF  DIXMUDE    IN    APRIL,    1919 


French   Official  Photo. 

HOUSE  AT  GRUNY  REPAIRED  BY  FRIENDS 


A   COLONY  ERECTED   BY   THE   ENGLISH   FRIENDS 


FRIENDS    PUTTING    UF    ONE    OF    THEIR   OWN    PORTABLE    HUTS 


ORGANIZATION  197 

em  industrial  needs.  The  winning  plan,  by- 
Monsieur  Rey,  was  especially  good. 

Armentieres  and  Montdidier  have  virtually 
completed  their  plans;  other  plans  are 
well  under  way  for  Valenciennes,  Arras,  Al- 
bert, St.  Quentin,  Roye,  Coucy-le-Chateau, 
Vailly,  Compiegne,  Vienne-le-Chateau,  Ver- 
dun, Nancy,  Pont-a-Mousson,  Nomeny,  and 
Belfort.  Several  hundred  other  towns  and  vil- 
lages have  either  started  their  plans  or  are  ex- 
pecting to  do  so  at  once.  The  greatest  diffi- 
culty with  this  work  lies  in  persuading  the  vil- 
lages that  their  lay-outs  could  be  improved  and 
that  they  should  employ  a  real  expert  to  advise 
them.  Now  that  the  great  competition  is  open 
for  improving  the  lay-out  of  Paris  and  its  en- 
virons, town-planning  is  sure  to  receive  a  spe- 
cial impetus. 

Little  permanent  reconstruction  has  been 
done  so  far,  as  the  Government  is  discouraging 
it  for  the  time  being.  Except  for  what  was 
done  in  1919,  almost  all  of  it  is  in  towns  that 
were  destroyed  in  1914.  Gerbeviller,  in  the 
Meurthe-et-Moselle,  which  was  wilfully  de- 
stroyed by  the  Germans  in  their  first  retreat, 
shows  already  about  forty  buildings  recon- 


108  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

structed  by  private  contract ;  there  has  been  no 
official  control  over  their  construction  or  de- 
sign, with  the  result  that  they  do  not  augur 
well  for  the  charm  of  the  town  when  it  is  all  re- 
constructed, but  they  are  fairly  solidly  built 
and  serve  their  purposes  as  well  as  the  build- 
ings that  were  there  before. 

The  farm-town  of  Vassincourt,  near  Bar-le- 
Duc,  has  fared  much  better.  The  proprietors 
have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  good  architect, 
who  has  rebuilt  most  of  the  farm  groups;  all 
of  the  charm  of  the  best  of  the  buildings  that 
were  there  before  the  war  reappears  in  most  of 
these  new  buildings,  and  in  addition  they  have 
a  convenience,  efficiency,  and  economy  of  plan 
which  most  of  the  former  buildings  lacked. 
To  give  an  idea  of  present-day  prices,  we  find 
that  the  rebuilding  of  a  large  house  and  farm 
buildings  costs  75,000  francs;  a  six-room  house 
alone  costs  20,000  francs ;  a  farm  barn  and  two 
living-rooms  costs  24,000  francs. 

Sermaize-les-Bains  and  Pargny,  also  de- 
stroyed in  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  are  already 
about  one  quarter  rebuilt.  Like  Gerbeviller, 
they  were  rebuilt  by  private  contract,  but  they 
were  a  little  more  fortunate  in  their  architects. 


ORGANIZATION  199 

Much  more  interesting  is  the  reconstruction 
that  has  gone  on  in  the  twelve  villages  west  of 
Vitry-le-Fran9ois,  that  were  destroyed  in  the 
Battle  of  the  Marne.  They  have  grouped 
themselves  together  in  four  cooperative  socie- 
ties with  one  architect  and  one  contractor  for 
all  of  the  work  of  each  society.  Already 
nearly  150  buildings  have  been  reconstructed 
in  these  villages  at  a  cost  of  about  2,000,000 
francs.  While  the  buildings  are  not  so  charm- 
ing as  those  at  Vassincourt,  nevertheless  most 
of  them  are  more  practical  than  the  buildings 
they  replace,  and  if  all  of  the  destroyed  villages 
could  be  rebuilt  as  well,  there  would  be  very  lit- 
tle need  to  worry  about  the  future  of  the  region. 

However,  the  crowning  example  of  recon- 
struction is  the  work  done  by  two  American 
women;  Mrs.  Crocker  and  Miss  Daisy  Polk, 
of  California,  have  presented  in  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Vitrimont,  in  the  Meurthe-et-Moselle, 
a  sample  of  reconstruction  that  all  should  see. 
I  was  there  in  October,  1916,  just  as  fifty 
French  workmen  were  arriving  in  the  com- 
pletely destroyed  village  to  rebuild  it  accord- 
ing to  the  plan  of  the  departmental  architect. 
Ovei:  half  of  the  villagers  had  returned  and 


200         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

were  making  out  an  existence  as  best  they 
might  under  the  tottering  walls  of  what  had 
been  their  homes.  The  manure  heaps  were  still 
out  in  front  of  the  houses  and  everywhere  there 
was  litter  and  sordidness.  It  was  most  un- 
promising, but  Miss  Polk  was  full  of  courage. 

In  the  spring  of  1919  I  revisited  the  town. 
Here  were  clean,  charming  houses,  gay  with 
their  bright  painted  doors  and  shutters,  with 
bigger  windows,  baths,  better  sanitary  arrange- 
ments; sewers  and  electric  lights.  The  ma- 
nure heaps  and  broken  wagons  in  front  of  the 
houses  had  been  replaced  by  trees  and  grass- 
plots.  The  whole  town  had  an  air  of  well- 
being  and  self-respect  that  made  one  hope  that 
the  lesson  would  be  taken  to  heart  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  devastated 
regions.  The  Americans  had  gone;  the  work 
was  done,  the  proprietors  having  signed  over 
to  their  benefactors  any  indemnity  they  may 
eventually  get  from  the  Government ;  but  the 
memory  of  their  passage  remains  in  the  name 
of  the  principal  street  "la  rue  de  Californie." 

In  many  cities  and  towns  where  the  damage 
was  comparatively  slight,  such  as  Amiens,  we 
find  a  good  deal  of  rebuilding  actually  started, 


ORGANIZATION  201 

but  most  of  the  refugees  prefer  to  wait  until 
they  know  just  what  their  war  damage  from 
the  Government  is  going  to  amount  to.  It  is 
expected,  however,  that  by  the  spring  of  1920 
permanent  reconstruction  will  start  actively. 
Meanwhile,  in  addition  to  laying  in  sto^^ks  of 
materials,  the  Government  is  spending  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  each  department  in  establishing 
unit  standard  prices  for  building-construction 
on  which  contracts  can  be  based. 

In  general  the  Permanent  Reconstruction 
Service  is  divided  into  two  parts — ^the  urban 
division  in  charge  of  an  architect,  and  the  rural 
division  in  charge  of  an  agricultural  engineer; 
each  has  his  representative  in  charge  of  the 
work  in  each  department;  towns  of  from  six 
hundred  to  one  thousand  people  and  over  are 
handled  by  the  architect,  and  the  rest  by  the 
agricultural  engineer.  The  latter  handles 
from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  communes 
in  each  department,  and  the  former  handles 
from  thirty  to  eighty.  Even  in  rural  commu- 
nities the  architect  usually  handles  all  public 
buildings,  churches,  and  chateaux.  The  archi- 
tect in  collaboration  with  the  agricultural  en- 
gineer controls  the  planning  of  the  rural  com- 


202  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

munities.  The  engineer  encourages  the  form- 
ation of  agricultural  syndicates;  both  he  and 
the  architect  organize  reconstruction  coopera- 
tive societies  wherever  they  can.  Both  of  them 
are  devoting  most  of  their  attention  just  now 
to  making  programs  and  laying  out  work  for 
the  Service  of  Urgency  Work;  the  architect 
orders  the  portable  houses  that  are  mounted 
by  the  Service  of  Urgency  Work,  and  the  en- 
gineer orders  the  portable  farm-buildings. 

The  question  of  raw  materials  is  a  most  im- 
portant one  in  temporary  as  well  as  in  perma- 
nent reconstruction.  On  October  22,  1916, 
the  predecessor  of  the  Permanent  Reconstruc- 
tion Service  published  a  report  showing  the 
distribution  of  quarries,  and  in  general  show- 
ing where  the  raw  materials  could  be  obtained 
in  or  near  the  devastated  regions.  It  showed, 
for  example,  that  good  building-stone  could  be 
found  in  almost  all  of  the  liberated  depart- 
ments, except  the  Nord  and  the  Somme ;  there 
is  good  brick  clay  in  almost  all  of  the  depart- 
ments, especially  in  the  Nord.  The  great  diffi- 
culty, however,  is  getting  the  coal  needed  for 
burning  the  brick.  There  is  plenty  of  good 
building-sand  in  all  of  the  departments;  ce- 


ORGANIZATION  203 

merit  can  be  produced  in  large  quantities  in  the 
Pas-de-Calais,  the  Marne,  the  Meuse,  and  the 
Meurthe-et-Moselle,  provided,  of  course,  that 
the  necessary  coal  is  available. 

Most  of  the  departments  can  furnish  plenty 
of  lime,  which  probably  will  be  much  used  in 
reconstruction.  Tile  can  be  produced  in  quan- 
tity and  roofing-slates  exist  in  large  quantities 
in  the  Ardennes  and  the  Meurthe-et-Moselle, 
and  to  a  lesser  extent  in  the  Nord  and  the  Pas- 
de-Calais.  The  Ardennes  used  to  have  hun- 
dreds of  little  shops  that  produced  hardware. 
Glass  comes  from  the  Nord,  the  Aisne,  and 
from  Belgium.  There  is  little  wood  available 
in  the  Nord,  the  Pas-de-Calais,  or  the  Somme. 
In  the  eastern  departments,  however,  there  are 
still  large  quantities  available.  The  chief  dif- 
ficulty with  regard  to  all  of  these  materials 
will  be  in  getting  the  tools  and  machinery 
needed  for  extracting  and  preparing  them  for 
use. 

The  Reconstruction  Research  and  Educa- 
tional Service  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
made  maps  for  each  of  the  liberated  depart- 
ments, showing  the  location  of  each  quarry, 
bed,  and  outcropping  of  material  that  might 


204  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

be  used  in  reconstruction ;  these  maps  are  now 
being  published  by  La  Renaissance  des  Cites. 
The  Permanent  Reconstruction  Service 
bought  building-materials  where  it  could  and 
began  to  create  stocks  in  various  centers  in  the 
liberated  regions.  By  the  beginning  of  May, 
1919,  this  service  began  to  assume  an  impor- 
tance that  made  it  desirable  to  create  a  sep- 
arate Service  of  Materials.  The  particular 
duty  of  this  service  is  to  make  a  survey  of  the 
conditions  in  the  devastated  regions,  to  see  just 
what  is  going  to  be  needed  in  the  way  of  build- 
ing-materials, and  in  what  quantities.  It  then 
looks  over  the  available  supply  of  each  ma- 
terial and  wherever  it  finds  a  material  that  the 
market  is  not  providing  in  sufficient  quantities 
it  either  lays  in  a  stock  from  some  outside 
source  or  it  makes  arrangements  with  the  Min- 
ister of  Industrial  Reconstitution  to  increase 
its  extraction  and  preparation  for  use.  It  will 
cede  these  materials  to  the  returning  refugees 
either  through  a  citizens'  purchasing  board  like 
that  associated  with  the  Ministry  of  Industrial 
Reconstitution,  or  through  a  local  Societe 
Tiers  Mandataire  similar  to  those  associated 
with  the  Agricultural  Reconstitution  Service. 


AMERICAN   RED  CROSS  TRUCKS  UNLOADING  RELIEF   SUPPLIES 

At  the  Town  Hall  in  Peronne  to  be  distributed  by  French 
Red  Cross. 


THE  LIVING-QUARTERS  OF  THE  SMITH  COLLEGE  RELIEF  UNIT 
AT  GRECOURT,  SOMME 


VITRIMONT,    MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE 

The    only    destroyed     villag-e      in     Prance     that     is     now 

completely  rebuilt. 


THE  TRAVELING  STORE  OF  THE  SMITH  COLLEGE  RELIEF  UNIT 
AT    CANIZY,    SOMME 


ORGANIZATION  205 

On  the  first  of  June,  1919,  the  Service  of 
Materials  asked  for  bids  on  the  following  ma- 
terials: 60,000  tons  of  hydraulic  lime,  40,000 
tons  of  cement,  40,000  tons  of  ordinary  lime, 
1,000  tons  of  plaster  of  Paris,  20,000,000 
bricks,  20,000,000  hollow  bricks,  20,000,000 
roofing-tiles,  all  of  which  would  be  delivered  as 
soon  as  possible  in  the  devastated  regions. 

At  the  same  time  many  of  the  liberated  de- 
partments have  been  asking  for  bids  on  sim- 
ilar materials  on  their  own  account. 

On  December  12,  1918,  a  law  was  passed 
which  authorized  the  State  to  requisition  all 
current  building-materials  coming  from  wholly 
or  partly  destroyed  buildings  in  the  devastated 
regions.  The  State  allows  the  owner  the  ap- 
praised value  of  the  materials,  and  the  owner 
cannot  touch  the  materials  himself  unless  the 
State  officials  allow  him  to  do  so. 

In  letting  contracts  for  clearing  up  the  ruins 
the  State  expects  the  contractor  to  cull  out  of 
the  debris  all  materials  that  can  be  reemployed 
in  building.  The  Service  of  Materials  stores 
them  against  eventual  use. 

The  Service  of  Materials  is  in  close  touch 
with  the  liquidation  boards  of  the  French, 


206         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

British,  and  American  armies;  already  large 
quantities  of  materials  have  been  ceded  to  it 
on  the  spot  by  the  French  Army.  As  an  ex- 
ample of  how  this  works  in  practice,  the  Minis- 
ter of  Liberated  Regions  has  just  authorized 
the  temporary  reconstruction  of  the  village  of 
Hombleux  in  the  Somme  by  the  use  of  materi- 
als from  a  French  army  dump  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

Immense  quantities  of  materials  have  al- 
ready been  taken  over  from  the  British  Army 
and  negotiations  are  concluded  with  the  Ameri- 
can Army  to  take  over  its  supply. 

Up  until  June  20,  1919,  few  building-mate- 
rials could  be  imported  into  France,  but  on  that 
date  the  door  was  opened  and  almost  every- 
thing that  goes  into  building  was  given  unre- 
stricted entrance,  except  for  a  control  over  the 
quality.  Most  raw  materials  are  free  of  cus- 
toms' duties. 

Another  feature  of  the  Service  of  Materials 
is  the  work  it  is  doing  in  experimenting  with 
building  materials  and  construction  to  see  what 
can  be  done  to  save  time,  money,  and  transpor- 
tation. In  March,  1919,  the  Permanent  Re- 
construction Service  published  an  interesting 


ORCANIZATIOlsr  207 

report  on  the  results  of  its  experiments  in  the 
use  of  adobe,  mud  bricks,  and  other  unbaked 
materials.  In  former  times  there  used  to  be  a 
good  deal  of  construction  with  these  materials 
in  eastern  and  northern  France.  At  St. 
Quentin  and  Chateau-Thierry  the  Government 
has  recently  contracted  for  the  building  of  sev- 
eral hundred  houses  of  sun-dried  mud  and 
debris. 

At  Noyon,  the  city  council  is  planning  to  re- 
construct the  stores  of  the  town  of  concrete. 
Lens  had  already  begun  to  make  large  quanti- 
ties of  cinder  concrete.  In  Rheims,  several  of 
the  big  manufacturers  are  making  their  own 
mud  bricks  for  the  reconstruction  of  their  fac- 
tories, even  using  earth  dug  up  on  their  own 
ground;  these  bricks  are  costing  thirty-five 
francs  a  thousand. 

The  department  of  the  Somme  has  been 
building  experimental  houses  of  various  sorts 
of  debris  coming  from  the  ruins,  and  the  results 
have  been  very  satisfactory. 

The  Reconstruction  Research  Service  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  and  the  Service  of  Mate- 
rials of  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions 
have  collaborated  in  making  a  number  of  tests 


208         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

on  agglomerates  made  of  various  sorts  of  ma- 
terials from  the  ruins,  with  different  binders,  to 
see  what  would  be  most  economical  and  most 
effective  in  reconstruction;  meanwhile  the 
Office  du  Batiment,  which  consists  of  the  lead- 
ing engineers,  architects,  and  contractors  of 
France,  is  making  with  the  collaboration  of  the 
Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  a  thorough 
study  of  the  standardization  of  building-mate- 
rials and  methods,  and  has  sent  a  commission 
of  its  best  men  to  America  to  see  what  of 
American  methods  are  applicable  in  the  devas- 
tated regions,  and  what  American  materials 
and  machinery  should  be  brought  over. 

There  are,  furthermore,  in  connection  with 
the  Ministry  of  Commerce  a  series  of  technical 
advisory  commissions,  several  of  which  are  ad- 
vising the  ministry  on  its  importation  policy 
with  regard  to  building-materials  and  machin- 
ery. 

For  the  last  six  months  of  1918,  we  find  that 
the  Minister  of  Liberated  Regions  was  allowed 
a  budgetary  credit  for  all  of  his  services  of 
461,000,000  francs.  He  spent  during  that 
time  almost  66,000,000  francs;  during  the  pre- 
vious six  months  he  spent  52,000,000  francs. 


ORGANIZATION  209 

For  the  first  six  months  of  1919  he  had  a 
budgetary  credit  of  2,146,000,000  francs. 
During  January,  February,  March,  and  April 
he  spent  nearly  282,000,000  francs.  During 
May  he  spent  198,000,000  francs.  The 
amount  is  rapidly  increasing  each  month.  For 
July,  August,  and  September,  1919,  he  has 
asked  for  a  budgetary  credit  of  2,106,000,000 
francs,  of  which  nearly  1,000,000,000  is  for  the 
Service  of  Urgency  Work,  and  another  1,000,- 
000,000  is  for  payments  on  account  of  war 
damages. 

The  North  was  the  greatest  industrial  center 
of  France.  The  destruction  of  the  factories 
has  not  only  stopped  life  in  the  liberated  re- 
gions but  has  been  a  most  serious  blow  to  the 
economic  life  of  France  as  a  whole.  It  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  the  destroyed  in- 
dustries should  be  put  back  into  operation  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  whole  reestablishment 
of  the  liberated  regions  is  dependent  on  it. 
The  first  active  step  that  was  taken  to  bring 
back  these  industries  was  the  creation  of  an 
organization  of  manufacturers  in  the  first  year 
of  the  war ;  this  group  was  called  L' Association 
Centrale  pour  la  Reprise  de  I'Activite  Indus- 


210  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

trielle  dans  les  Regions  Envahies.  Most  of 
the  industrial  people  whose  plants  had  suffered 
joined  it.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  the 
chief  thing  needed  was  the  creation  in  advance 
of  large  stocks  of  machinery  and  materials  so 
that  these  would  be  ready  for  use  at  the  end  of 
the  war.  However,  under  the  French  law  an 
association  like  this  cannot  trade,  and  so  a 
purchasing  board  was  created,  with  a  capital  of 
1,000,000  francs,  which  was  called  the  Comp- 
toir  Central  d' Achats  Industriels  pour  les 
Regions  Envahies. 

Meanwhile  the  association  secured  the  pas- 
sage of  a  law  on  August  6,  1917,  which  created 
a  Government  service  of  Industrial  Reconsti- 
tution  attached  to  the  Ministry  of  Commerce. 
This  service  was  voted  a  budgetaiy  credit  of 
250,000,000  francs  and  a  revolving-fund  of 
100,000,000  francs.  As  this  Government  serv- 
ice was  not  allowed  to  buy  large  quantities  of 
machinery  and  materials  itself,  it  made  use  of 
the  private  purchasing  board  that  has  just 
been  described  as  its  purchasing  agent.  Its 
private  capital  of  1,000,000  francs  was  consid- 
ered to  be  its  evidence  of  responsibility  and 
good  faith.     The  government  service  pays  all 


ORGANIZATION  211 

overhead  expenses  and  5  per  cent,  interest  on 
the  paid-in  private  capital.  The  association, 
the  purchasing  board  and  the  government 
service  collaborate  in  working  up  a  program 
of  purchasing.  The  purchasing  board  can 
buy  directly  for  a  private  individual  or  it  can 
constitute  general  stocks  for  distribution  later. 
The  recipient  can  pay  for  machinery  or  ma- 
terials in  cash,  or  he  can  have  the  total  charged 
up  against  his  eventual  war  indemnity.  Until 
recently  the  Government  has  advanced  no  cash 
to  individual  manufacturers  for  the  purchase 
of  machinery  or  goods,  because  it  wanted  to 
save  money  by  wholesale  buying  and  to  pre- 
vent the  unfortunate  effect  on  the  market  of 
the  competition  of  a  number  of  little  buyers 
bidding  against  one  another. 

With  the  creation  of  the  Ministry  of  Liber- 
ated Regions  in  November,  1917,  the  Indus- 
trial Reconstitution  Service  was  transferred  to 
the  new  ministry.  It  remained  with  this  min- 
istry until  November  26,  1918,  when  by  decree 
of  the  Government  the  Ministry  of  Armament 
was  changed  into  a  Ministry  of  Industrial  Re- 
constitution.  Then  the  whole  industrial  serv- 
ice was  again  transferred  to  the  latest  minis- 


212  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

try.  Until  this  last  transfer  the  government 
service  and  the  purchasing  board  had  effected 
purchases  to  the  amount  of  about  65,000,000 
francs;  in  addition  it  had  prepared  orders  for 
machinery,  tools,  and  raw  materials,  especially 
in  connection  with  the  reconstitution  of  the 
coal-mines,  to  the  amount  of  about  200,000,000 
francs.  Other  orders  to  the  extent  of  about 
150,000,000  francs  were  being  prepared  for  the 
textile  industry,  breweries,  sugar-mills,  etc. 

The  decree  of  November  26,  1918,  provided 
for  changing  over  munition  plants  to  peace- 
time manufacture.  The  ministry  has  been 
voted  budgetary  credits  of  over  1,000,000,000 
francs  to  forward  this  work.  Up  to  July  1, 
1919,  over  800,000,000  francs  had  been  en- 
gaged in  buying  machinery  and  goods;  virtu- 
ally all  of  this  was  expended  through  the  pur- 
chasing board. 

The  ministry  consists  of  an  administrative 
service,  several  technical  services,  a  service  for 
the  recuperation  of  material  taken  into  Ger- 
many, and  a  financial  service.  The  liberated 
regions  are  divided  into  seven  sectors,  with  cor- 
responding services  in  each  sector.  When  a 
manufacturer  wants  government  help  in  get- 


ORGANIZATION  213 

ting  started,  he  makes  his  application  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  sector,  accompanying  it 
with  a  detailed  statement  of  his  losses.  This 
statement  is  checked  up  by  the  government  of- 
ficials and  on  the  basis  of  it  he  is  allowed  a 
credit  against  which  the  Government  grants 
him  machinery  and  goods.  The  ministry  also 
makes  him  advances  of  money  with  the  under- 
standing that  it  shall  be  used  only  for  repairing 
his  machinery  or  buildings  and  as  a  working- 
capital  for  starting  the  operation  of  his  plant. 
The  ministry  helps  him  secure  trucks  and  bar- 
racks from  the  army.  It  secures  for  him  pri- 
ority of  manufacture  of  the  things  he  needs  and 
a  priority  of  purchase  on  the  things  that  the 
army  is  liquidating. 

The  ministry,  in  collaboration  with  the  asso- 
ciation, has  been  trying  to  create  industrial 
cooperative  societies.  One  society  has  been 
formed  among  the  textile  manufacturers  of 
Fourmies  and  another  among  the  sugar-manu- 
facturers at  Roye.  The  principle  of  these  co- 
operative societies  consists  in  rebuilding  and 
starting  up  in  common  one  factory  after  an- 
other as  fast  as  labor  and  machinery  are  avail- 
able,  and   dividing  up   the   profits   pro  rata 


214  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

among  the  members  of  the  society.  Aside 
from  allowing  all  to  get  some  start  immedi- 
ately, the  cooperative  plan  means  a  consider- 
able saving  to  all  by  permitting  an  extensive 
standardization  of  building-plants,  machinery, 
tools,  and  stock. 

The  ministry  has  issued  seven  interesting 
pamphlets ;  the  first  two  have  to  deal  with  the 
recuperation  of  machines  and  stocks  stolen  by 
the  Germans.  This  service  is  actively  at  work, 
with  agents  all  through  Germany,  and  already 
thousands  of  machines  identified  by  their  own- 
ers are  on  their  way  back  to  Paris. 

The  next  two  pamphlets  describe  in  detail 
how  the  manufacturer  who  has  suffered  war 
damage  should  make  out  his  application  for 
advances  of  money  or  goods.  The  next  two 
tell  him  how  to  go  to  work  to  get  machinery, 
raw  materials,  and  other  goods.  The  remain- 
ing pamphlet  advises  him  how  to  secure  labor 
for  starting  up  his  plant.  On  this  subject  the 
Ministry  of  Labor  is  in  close  touch  with  the 
Ministry  of  Industrial  Reconstitution  and  as 
soon  as  a  plant  is  ready  to  function,  even  if 
only  in  small  part,  the  Ministry  of  Labor  ad- 
vertises for  workers. 


ORGANIZATION  215 

Meanwhile  the  Ministry  of  Industrial  Re- 
constitution  is  constantly  advertising  for  bids 
on  the  construction  or  repair  of  industrial 
buildings.  At  Lens  the  ministry  is  getting 
forty-three  big  pumps  to  pump  out  the  mines. 

Already  several  hundred  manufacturing- 
plants  have  started  up  again  more  or  less  com- 
pletely; a  few  mines  have  been  reopened  and 
a  number  of  quarries  and  brick-  or  lime-kilns 
have  again  started  in  operation. 

Since  the  creation  of  the  Ministry  of  Liber- 
ated Regions  in  November,  1917,  the  Ministry 
of  Public  Works  has  confined  its  operations  in 
the  devastated  regions  to  the  railroads,  canals, 
and  main  highways.  It  has  an  extensive  and 
well-organized  personnel  in  these  regions  which 
has  made  a  remarkable  showing  since  the 
armistice. 

In  addition  the  Bureau  of  Bridges  and 
Highways  has  worked  in  direct  collaboration 
with  the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  in  cre- 
ating and  handling  stocks  of  building-materials 
which  are  controlled  by  the  latter. 

In  a  report  made  by  the  Minister  of  Public 
Works  to  the  President  of  the  French  Repub- 
lic, on  July  6,  1919,  we  find  that  on  the  Nord 


216         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Railroad  there  were  only  fifteen  miles  of  track 
which  had  not  yet  been  repaired,  less  than  1 
per  cent,  of  the  total  destroyed  by  the  Ger- 
mans. On  the  mining  railroads  over  half  had 
been  repaired.  On  the  Est  Railroad  only  165 
miles  remained  unrepaired,  or  about  10  per 
cent,  of  what  the  enemy  had  destroyed.  All 
but  forty-two  railway  stations  had  been  re- 
paired. 

About  half  of  the  narrow-gage  railways 
have  already  been  repaired.  The  work  on  the 
bridges  and  tunnels  is  proceeding  rapidly. 

With  regard  to  the  canals  and  waterways,  a 
large  number  of  contracts  were  let  for  their 
repair  on  December  13,  1918.  On  July  15, 
1919,  19,000  employees  were  at  work.  Al- 
ready nearly  200  miles  of  canals  were  back  in 
use,  that  is  about  30  per  cent,  of  the  total 
damage.  Three  of  the  canals,  however,  are 
completely  destroyed  and  cannot  be  put  back 
into  use  until  1920. 

Despite  the  fact  that  over  60,000  miles  of 
highways  were  damaged  and  over  2,000 
bridges  and  tunnels  destroyed,  4,000  yards  of 
temporary  bridges  had  been  built  and  5,000 
miles  of  the  worst  road  had  been  rebuilt,  for 


ORGANIZATION  21T 

which  over  500,000  tons  of  materials  had  been 
used.  Contracts  have  already  been  let  for  re- 
constructing most  of  the  bridges  and  tunnels, 
and  the  work  is  proceeding  rapidly. 

Many  of  the  most  beautiful  buildings  in 
France  were  in  the  regions  that  were  devas- 
tated. Of  the  historic  monuments  that  were 
under  the  care  of  the  State,  235  have  been 
damaged;  many  have  been  destroyed  and  are 
beyond  all  hope  of  restoration.  Monsieur 
Lafferre,  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction 
and  Fine  Arts,  and  his  able  associate.  Mon- 
sieur Paul  Leon,  directly  in  charge  of  the 
monuments  historiques,  have  been  actively  at 
work  since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  trying  to 
preserve  what  they  could  with  the  small  fund 
and  personnel  available. 

Paintings  and  sculptures  and  objects  of  an 
art  or  historical  interest  they  have  removed  to 
a  place  of  safety.  Thus  the  wonderful  tapes- 
tries in  the  cathedral  at  Rheims  were  saved  in 
the  first  days  of  the  war.  Up  to  March,  1918, 
very  little  of  the  glass  had  been  damaged  at 
Rheims,  but  then  the  Germans  started  throw- 
ing big  16-inch  shells  into  the  cathedral  with 
most  disastrous  effect  on  the  glass.     The  archi- 


218         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

tect  of  the  cathedral,  Monsieur  Deneux,  tried 
to  get  help  from  the  French  Army  to  remove 
the  glass  to  a  place  of  safety.  But  as  he  could 
find  no  one  who  could  climb  up  on  those  dizzy 
heights  without  a  staging,  he  went  down  to 
Paris  and  brought  up  six  firemen  who,  despite 
the  fact  they  were  being  fired  on  constantly  by 
German  snipers,  succeeded  in  saving  three- 
quarters  of  the  glass. 

All  of  the  best  glass  was  removed  from  a 
number  of  other  cathedrals  and  churches,  such 
as  Amiens,  Beauvais,  St.  Denis,  Chartres,  and 
from  Notre-Dame  and  the  Sainte-Chapelle  in 
Paris. 

Everywhere  that  it  was  possible  the  Ministry 
of  Fine  Arts  protected  with  a  deep  covering 
of  sand-bags  works  of  art  that  could  not  be 
removed.  The  delicate  choir  stalls  at  Amiens, 
the  beautiful  iron  grilles  around  the  Place 
Stanislas  in  Nancy,  all  of  the  fountains  at  Ver- 
sailles, and  hundreds  of  sculptures  in  Paris, 
were  rendered  safe  from  everything  except  a 
big  shell  or  bomb  falling  directly  upon  them. 

All  during  the  war  the  Ministry  of  Fine 
Arts  was  sending  men  here  and  there  in  the 
devastated  regions  with  tarpaulin  and  tarred 


ORGANIZATION  219 

paper,  to  protect  ruins  and  to  prevent  their 
further  disintegration  by  the  weather.  Mean- 
while, as  the  war  proceeded,  men  were  sent  out 
systematically  to  cover  the  devastated  regions 
and  to  list  just  what  had  been  stolen  or  de- 
stroyed. 

On  May  16,  1919,  M.  Louis  Marin  pre- 
sented a  report  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies, 
asking  for  an  emergency  appropriation  for 
the  Ministry  of  Fine  Arts  of  4,006,400  francs 
to  do  the  work  that  had  to  be  done  at  once  to 
preserve  the  monuments  until  such  time  as  they 
can  be  restored  permanently. 

In  certain  places  like  Soissons,  Laon,  St. 
Quentin,  Chalons-sur-Marne,  Verdun,  Arras, 
and  Cambrai,  the  Ministry  of  Fine  Arts  pro- 
ceeded at  once,  without  waiting  for  a  budg- 
etary credit,  to  put  a  temporary  protection 
over  what  was  left  of  the  buildings.  In  this 
way,  during  the  first  six  months  of  1919,  2,575,- 
000  francs  had  been  spent.  To  remove  bags 
of  sand,  to  put  back  the  glass,  etc..  Monsieur 
Marin  asked  for  1,570,000  francs.  In  all,  for 
the  last  six  months  of  1919  he  asked  for  11,- 
000,000  francs. 

At  Rheims  Cathedral  twenty  French  work- 


220         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

men  started  clearing  and  sorting  out  the  ruins 
shortly  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  By 
the  end  of  the  summer  of  1919  the  whole  cathe- 
dral will  have  been  covered  by  a  temporary 
wooden  roof  protected  with  tarred  paper.  As 
soon  as  that  is  finished,  an  invisible  reinforced 
concrete  roof  will  be  built  and  the  unsightly 
wooden  roof  removed.  Then  the  destroyed 
pillars  and  buttresses  will  be  rebuilt  and  the 
holes  in  the  vaulting  filled  in. 

The  plan  is  not  to  restore  any  of  the  sculp- 
ture or  carving,  but  to  leave  it  as  it  is,  as 
a  permanent  witness  to  German  barbarity. 
The  glass  and  the  tapestries  will  be  brought 
back,  and  within  two  years  services  will  again 
be  held  in  this  the  most  historic  building  of  the 
war. 

In  a  number  of  places  the  question  is  coming 
up  for  discussion  as  to  whether  this  or  that 
monument  shall  be  restored  or  not.  With  re- 
gard to  the  medieval  castle  of  Coucy-le-Cha- 
teau,  the  architects  feel  that  the  whole  hilltop 
should  be  left  just  as  it  is.  The  Belgian  Gov- 
ernment has  already  decided  to  conserve  the 
ruins  of  the  Cloth  Hall  and  the  cathedral  at 
Ypres  as  they  are.     A  committee  has  already 


ORGANIZATION  221 

been  formed  to  erect  a  great  memorial  at  Fort 
Douaumont,  near  Verdun,  and  to  preserve  the 
surrounding  region  just  as  it  is.  In  general, 
however,  the  experts  feel  that  there  is  no  object 
in  trying  to  preserve  ruins  as  memorials,  be- 
cause they  will  crumble  and  be  buried  under 
vegetation  so  soon.  The  Minister  of  Fine  Arts 
has  appointed  a  commission  composed  of  the 
leading  architects  of  France  to  decide  on  all 
questions  affecting  the  restoration  of  the  monu- 
ments Tiistoriques. 

In  its  various  ministries  the  French  Govern- 
ment has  already  developed  a  vast  organization 
for  aiding  the  reestablishment  of  the  liberated 
regions;  but  however  large  this  organization 
may  eventually  be,  it  is  obvious  that  most  of 
the  results  are  going  to  come  from  private  in- 
itiative and  effort.  The  Government  realizes 
this  and  is  doing  everything  possible  to  en- 
courage it. 


CHAPTER  IX 

PRIVATE   ORGANIZATION   AND   EFFORT 

The  number  of  associations,  societies,  com- 
mittees, and  groups  of  various  sorts  that  have 
sprung  into  being  to  help  in  one  way  or  another 
in  the  reestabhshment  of  the  liberated  regions, 
is  beyond  all  count.  Many  of  them  one  hears 
about  only  by  accident.  But  one  and  all  they 
are  bringing  their  contribution  to  the  work. 
There  are,  however,  a  few  outstanding  groups 
that  are  particularly  worthy  of  study,  and  fore- 
most among  these  are  the  cooperative  societies. 

We  have  already  described  the  one  hundred 
and  twenty  cooperative  societies  of  agriculture 
which  were  formed  in  the  Somme,  the  Aisne, 
and  the  Oise,  before  the  German  advance  in 
the  spring  of  1918.  Since  the  Germans  were 
driven  back  again  few  new  ones  have  been 
formed,  but  instead  many  hundred  agricul- 
tural syndicates  have  sprung  up  all  the  way 
from  Belgium  to  Alsace.  People  are  appreci- 
ating more  and  more  the  advantages  of  pur- 

222 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    223 

chasing  in  common  their  implements,  machin- 
ery, seed,  fertihzer,  animals,  and  forage. 

Following  closely  after  the  agricultural  syn- 
dicates are  the  reconstruction  cooperative 
societies.  The  Government  is  doing  every- 
thing it  can  to  encourage  their  formation  and 
to  give  them  special  inducements  in  the  way  of 
labor,  transportation,  materials,  and  larger  ad- 
vances. Already  several  hundred  of  them 
have  been  formed  or  are  forming  and  there 
will  be  many  more  as  soon  as  permanent  recon- 
struction can  get  actively  under  way.  It  is 
probable  that  many  of  the  agricultural  syndi- 
cates will  gradually  change  over  into  recon- 
struction cooperative  societies. 

Meanwhile,  awaiting  the  time  when  these 
groups  will  have  to  devote  all  of  their  efforts  to 
reconstruction,  the  idea  is  being  strongly  agi- 
tated that  they  should  start  consumers'  cooper- 
ative stores.  Before  the  war  the  liberated 
regions  were  full  of  cooperative  stores;  a  few 
have  already  been  started  up  again,  usually  as 
branches  of  a  large  cooperative  store  in  some 
central  city.  Such  stores  can  be  of  the  great- 
est use  at  once,  in  controlling  the  speculative 
advance  in  prices. 


224  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Another  phase  of  cooperative  activity  was 
launched  in  the  village  of  Villers-Carbonnel  in 
the  Somme.  Here  all  the  able-bodied  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  presented  themselves  as  a 
group  to  the  Service  of  Urgency  Work  of 
the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions,  and  offered 
their  services  cooperatively  at  the  legal  rates 
for  clearing  up  the  fieldsi  and  the  ruins  of  their 
village. 

Still  another  kind  of  cooperative  society  is 
that  formed  by  several  groups  of  manufactur- 
ers, such  as  the  textile  cooperative  society  at 
Fourmies  in  the  Nord,  and  that  formed  by  the 
three  sugar-manufacturers  at  Roye  in  the 
Somme,  who  decided  to  pool  their  interests  and 
rebuild  only  one  plant  instead  of  three. 

The  reconstruction  cooperative  societies  are 
usually  formed  one  to  a  village,  but  in  the 
Meuse  we  found  a  cooperative  society  at  St. 
Mihiel  that  includes  thirty  communes,  and  over 
five  hundred  members,  and  another  at  Vig- 
neuUes  which  is  even  larger.  These  latter, 
however,  proved  unwieldy  and  have  been 
broken  up  into  a  number  of  smaller  societies, 
each  consisting  of  not  over  five  villages. 

These  societies  all  are  profiting  by  the  ex- 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    225 

perience  of  the  four  pioneer  societies  that 
started  rebuilding  along  the  old  battle  line  of 
the  Marne  over  two  and  a  half  years  ago. , 
When  I  visited  the  villages  there,  in  the  end 
of  March,  1919,  I  found  them  nearly  com- 
pletely resurrected  from  their  ruins.  Large 
farm  barns,  well  designed  and  well  built,  com- 
fortable, substantial  houses,  permanent  out- 
buildings, all  testified  to  a  thoroughness  and 
self-respect  that  augurs  well  for  the  future.  I 
asked  Monsieur  Oiseau,  the  Mayor  of  Glannes, 
and  the  treasurer  of  the  reconstruction  cooper- 
ative society  of  the  villages  of  Glannes,  Huiron, 
and  Courdemanges  (all  just  west  of  Vitry-le- 
Fran9ois)  if  he  thought  that  conservative 
French  farmers  really  believed  in  the  advan- 
tages of  cooperation.  He  said  that  they  did 
now,  certainly,  although  at  first  it  had  required 
much  persuasion  to  get  them  to  join  in.  He 
said  that  in  their  cooperative  society  they  had 
done  about  400,000*francs'  worth  of  work;  all 
of  the  money  except  about  6,000  francs  was  ad- 
vanced by  the  State  against  the  eventual  war 
indemnities.  Of  this,  272,000  francs  had  been 
advanced  in  cash,  and  the  rest  in  materials 
and  transportation.     They  had  had  one  archi- 


226  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

tect  and  one  contractor  for  all  of  the  thirty 
farm-buildings  and  five  houses  that  they  had 
already  built.  The  Government  had  given 
them  thirty  German  prisoners,  carpenters  and 
masons  by  trade,  at  4  francs  a  day.  The  Gov- 
ernment has  also  given  them  priority  on  ma- 
terials and  transportation,  as  well  as  a  larger 
advance  on  their  war  indemnity  than  they 
could  have  had  if  they  had  applied  singly. 
The  result  of  this  was  that  with  the  various 
inducements  granted  by  the  State  to  the  coop- 
erative society  they  had  found  that  without 
using  any  of  their  own  private  capital  they 
were  actually  getting  twice  as  much  building 
done  as  they  could  have  if  they  had  undertaken 
it  individually. 

The  great  question  now  is  how  to  keep  the 
newly  formed  cooperative  societies  interested 
and  profitably  at  work  until  they  can  actually 
start  rebuilding  next  spring.  Many  are  using 
the  combined  force  of  the  society  to  speed  up 
their  damage  awards.  Many  are  studying  the 
improvement  of  their  town  in  accordance  with 
the  new  town-planning  law.  Others  are  help- 
ing in  getting  quicker  results  in  clearing  up 
the  ruins.     In  the  Pas-de-Calais  we  find  sev- 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    227 

eral  cooperative  societies  already  at  work  mak- 
ing bricks,  against  the  future.  In  general 
they  are  laying  in  stocks  of  materials  and  tools. 
Everywhere  there  are  activity  and  plenty  of 
promise  of  results  as  soon  as  the  conditions  will 
permit. 

In  addition  to  the  cooperative  societies  and 
the  syndicates,  but  often  composed  of  the  same 
members,  are  the  numerous  Societes  de  Tiers 
Mandataires  which  have  been  created  by  the 
Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions  throughout  the 
rural  districts  to  purchase  and  distribute  agri- 
cultural supplies.  A  similar  group  of  local 
societies  will  soon  be  formed  by  the  Govern- 
ment to  purchase  and  distribute  building-ma- 
terials; then,  in  addition,  there  is  the  purchas- 
ing board  which  is  attached  to  the  Ministry  of 
Industrial  Reconstitution.  All  of  these 
groups  consist  of  citizens  organized  by  private 
initiative  to  help  the  Government. 

Each  department  has  its  refugee  committees, 
all  of  which  are  grouped  together  in  one  union 
for  the  whole  liberated  regions.  The  chief  in- 
terest has  been  in  urgent  relief  work  and  in  the 
publication  of  a  newspaper  for  each  depart- 
ment that  would  keep  the  refugees  in  touch 


228  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

with  their  friends  and  relatives  and  with  what 
the  Government  was  doing  for  them. 

In  each  department,  also,  there  is  an  asso- 
ciation of  war  victims.  These  associations, 
again,  are  grouped  together  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Federation  des  Associations  Departe- 
mentales  de  Sinistres.  This  group  had  been 
particularly  effective  during  the  war  in  getting 
action  on  the  war-damage  bills.  Now  it  is 
using  its  combined  force  to  speed  up  the  Gov- 
ernment work  in  the  devastated  regions. 

On  June  20,  1919,  a  new  federation  of  war 
victims  was  formed,  called  La  Federation 
Fran9aise  des  Sinistres.  The  chief  object  of 
this  federation  is  to  see  that  the  war  victims  are 
actually  paid  their  war  damages  by  the  State. 

A  strong  national  committee  has  been  hard 
at  work  since  early  in  the  war,  helping  in  the 
preparation  and  enactment  of  the  war-damage 
law.  It  is  called  Comite  National  d'Action 
pour  la  Reparation  Integrale  des  Dommages 
causes  par  la  Guerre. 

The  chambers  of  commerce  throughout  the 
devastated  regions  have  been  most  active,  do- 
ing whatever  they  could  themselves  and  induc- 
ing the  Government  to  do  the  rest.     The  local 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    229 

Syndicats  d'Initiative  have  been  most  helpful 
along  the  same  line. 

In  the  summer  of  1916,  the  Association  Gen- 
erale  des  Hygienistes  et  Techniciens  Munici- 
paux,  in  collaboration  with  other  technical  so- 
cieties, organized  a  big  exhibition  in  the  garden 
of  the  Tuileries,  in  Paris,  at  which  were  shown 
a  number  of  portable  houses,  types  of  quick 
construction,  and  samples  of  furniture  and 
utensils,  all  adapted  to  the  devastated  regions. 

In  the  autumn  of  1917  La  Societe  des  Archi- 
tectes  Diplomes  organized  a  competition  for 
better  types  of  rural  buildings,  in  harmony 
with  the  original  architectural  style  of  the 
North.  The  Government  gave  30,000  francs 
in  prizes  and  allowed  two  hundred  and  thirty 
picked  mobilized  men  twenty  days'  leave  from 
the  trenches  to  work  on  this  competition.  The 
results  were  most  interesting  and  valuable, 
especially  as  they  drew  the  attention  of  the 
public  to  the  desirability  of  preserving  the  lo- 
cal architectural  character  in  the  reconstruction 
of  the  devastated  regions,  rather  than  descend- 
ing to  the  horrible  ginger-bread  architecture 
affected  in  so  many  modern  French  suburbs. 

The  Musee  Social  and  the  Ecole  Superieure 


230  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

d'Art  Public  have  kept  up  a  constant  study  of 
better  ways  of  doing  things  in  the  reestabhsh- 
ment  of  the  liberated  regions.  The  Musee 
Social  has  pubhshed  a  number  of  excellent 
pamphlets  on  its  conclusions.  The  Ecole  Su- 
perieure  d'Art  Public  has  for  several  years 
offered  to  the  public  daily  lectures  by  the  best 
authorities  in  France  on  town-planning,  hous- 
ing, sanitation,  recreation,  landscape  architec- 
ture, public  art,  and  all  the  things  that  make 
for  the  betterment  of  living  and  working  con- 
ditions. 

The  Reconstruction  Research  and  Propa- 
ganda Service  of  the  American  Red  Cross, 
which  I  organized  in  March,  1917,  working  in 
close  collaboration  with  the  leading  French 
technical  societies  and  authorities,  determined 
during  1918  a  number  of  standards  of  im- 
proved methods  in  construction,  agriculture, 
town-planning,  sanitation,  etc.,  with  particular 
application  to  the  reconstitution  problems  of 
the  liberated  regions.  During  the  autumn  and 
winter  of  1917  I  made  frequent  trips  to  the 
Somme  to  follow  up  the  repair  work  the 
American  Red  Cross  was  doing  there  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Barbey  and  Mr.  Barton,     It 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    231 

was  a  most  valuable  experiment,  very  helpful 
in  our  research  work.  In  February,  1919,  all 
of  its  studies  and  its  library  were  turned  over 
to  La  Renaissance  des  Cites,  which  has  been 
continuing  the  work. 

La  Renaissance  des  Cites  was  founded  in 
the  second  year  of  the  war,  as  a  disinterested 
and  unpaid  advisory  society,  and  is  composed 
of  leading  architects,  artists,  engineers,  sani- 
tarians, bankers,  lawyers,  humanitarians,  and 
welfare  workers.  It  has  issued  a  number  of 
excellent  reports  on  pertinent  subjects.  It  has 
made  plans  for  the  improvement  of  Arras, 
Albert,  Tracy-le-Val,  Chauny,  and  Coucy-le- 
Chateau.  It  has  a  large  library  on  reconstitu- 
tion  subjects  and  along  the  same  line  it  has 
organized  several  exhibitions  and  is  conduct- 
ing an  extensive  campaign  of  education. 

The  Rockefeller  Tuberculosis  Commission, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Tuberculosis  Bureau 
and  the  Child  Welfare  Bureau  of  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross,  has  conducted  a  general  health 
propaganda  throughout  France.  It  is  now 
making  an  especial  effort  in  the  department  of 
the  Nord. 

At  Amiens,  the  Government  and  private  in- 


232  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

dividuals  opened  on  July  13,  1919,  an  exhi- 
bition of  furniture  suitable  for  use  in  the 
Somme.  It  is  expected  that  their  idea  will  be 
adopted  throughout  the  liberated  regions.  At 
the  Foire  de  Paris,  in  May,  1919,  and  at  the 
Jardin  d'Acclimatation  during  August,  1919, 
there  were  extensive  exhibitions  of  portable 
houses  and  other  forms  of  quick  construc- 
tion suitable  to  the  devastated  regions.  All 
of  these  things  have  helped  greatly  in  drawing 
the  attention  of  the  public  to  the  needs,  and  in 
exchanging  ideas  among  technical  people. 

In  the  spring  of  1919,  Le  Comite  National 
de  I'Education  Physique  et  Sportive  et  de 
THygiene  Sociale  held  a  big  inter-allied  con- 
gress to  consider  social  hygiene  in  its  applica- 
tion to  the  reconstruction  of  the  devastated 
regions.  Their  action  is  largely  responsible 
for  the  introduction  of  the  excellent  sanitation 
clauses  in  the  recent  war-damage  law. 

The  Association  Generale  des  Hygienistes 
et  Techniciens  Municipaux  and  the  Societe  de 
Medecine  Publique  et  du  Genie  Sanitaire,  and 
various  other  medical  and  health  associations, 
have  by  their  meetings,  publications,  and  per- 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    233 

sonal  effort  added  greatly  to  the  general  inter- 
est in  public-health  matters. 

The  Societe  des  Architectes  Diplomes  par  le 
Gouvernement  and  the  Societe  Centrale  des 
Architectes,  have  taken  an  active  part  in  se- 
curing better  legislation  affecting  reconstruc- 
tion and  have  striven  unceasingly  for  a  high 
standard  of  architectural  practice.  Recently 
the  former  society  has  organized  a  cooperative 
society  among  its  members,  so  that  they  can 
pool  their  effort  and  avoid  duplication  in  their 
reconstruction  work.  The  Federation  des 
Architectes,  which  includes  six  other  architec- 
tural societies,  has  also  created  a  cooperative 
society  among  its  members,  with  the  same  ob- 
ject in  view.  Recently  a  national  federation 
of  all  the  architectural  societies  has  been 
formed,  with  the  object  of  securing  a  complete 
coordination  of  effort  and  program. 

In  the  liberated  departments  a  number  of 
contracting  groups  have  been  formed,  so  that 
they  can  unite  their  efforts  on  a  common  pro- 
gram. At  the  same  time  the  Federation  Na- 
tionale  du  Batiment  et  des  Travaux  Publics 
has  organized  the  building-industry  through- 


234  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

out  the  country  and  at  its  national  con- 
ferences helped  greatly  in  improving  building- 
practice. 

Probably  the  most  important  step  that  has 
been  taken  toward  solving  the  problem  of  re- 
construction, was  the  bringing  together  on  No- 
vember 26,  27,  and  28,  1918,  of  all  the  national 
societies  technically  interested  in  reconstruc- 
tion. At  this  congress  were  the  leading  archi- 
tects, engineers,  contractors,  and  material-sup- 
ply men  of  France.  They  presented  a  care- 
fully worked  out  program  of  action  to  the 
French  Government,  many  parts  of  which  have 
since  been  put  into  effect.  Perhaps  more  im- 
portant still,  they  organized  the  Office  du  Bati- 
ment  et  des  Travaux  Publics  composed  of  the 
presidents  of  the  various  national  societies  that 
took  part  in  the  congress.  This  coramittee  has 
been  meeting  regularly  every  week  since,  to 
consider  technical  reconstruction  matters,  to 
improve  building-methods  and  materials,  and 
wherever  possible  to  standardize  them.  With 
the  support  of  the  Minister  of  Liberated  Re- 
gions it  has  sent  a  strong  commission  to  Amer- 
ica,  to   see   what   practical   contribution   the 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    235 

United  States  can  make  in  materials  and 
methods. 

La  Soeiete  Fran9aise  des  Urbanistes,  which 
is  the  French  town-planning  institute,  has 
brought  together  for  common  effort  the  leading 
town-planning  specialists  of  France.  The 
Inter-allied  Town-Planning  Conference,  which 
it  held  in  Paris  on  June  11,  12,  and  13,  1919, 
was  of  excellent  educative  value,  and  did  much 
toward  standardizing  town-planning  practice. 
Nine  members  of  the  organization  have  formed 
themselves  into  a  town-planning  cooperative 
society,  called  the  Bureau  Technique  des  Plans 
de  Villes,  and  having  the  same  object  in  view  as 
the  architectural  cooperative  societies  which  we 
described  above. 

Of  particular  interest  in  connection  with 
town-planning  is  the  creation  of  a  French 
group,  called  the  Soeiete  Aerienne  Fran(jaise 
which  takes  photographs  to  scale  from  the  air 
of  anything  that  is  to  be  mapped  or  planned. 
The  use  of  aerial  photographs  is  fairly  revolu- 
tionizing town-planning  methods  of  study. 

Another  interesjting  group  that  has  recently 
been  formed  is  known  a,s  the  Union  Centrale 


236  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

des  Victimes  des  dommages  causes  par  la 
Guerre,  which  has  been  organized  for  the  sup- 
port and  defense  of  the  rights  of  war  victims. 
The  society,  which  is  semi-commercial  in  char- 
acter, provides  technical  advice  to  war  victims 
along  any  line  that  may  interest  them  in  con- 
nection with  the  reestablishment  of  their  prop- 
erties. 

In  addition  there  are  a  number  of  industrial 
and  commercial  groups  that  are  forming  all 
through  the  hberated  regions  and  in  March, 
1919,  there  was  held  a  commercial  congress  of 
the  liberated  regions  which  was  organized  by 
the  Federation  des  Syndicates  Commerciaux 
du  Departement  du  Nord.  It  asked  the  Gov- 
ernment to  grant  it  the  necessary  facilities  for 
feeding  the  returning  refugees  and  otherwise 
supplying  their  wants,  so  that  it  could  replace 
the  relief  societies  still  at  work. 

The  various  national  agricultural  societies, 
such  as  the  Societe  des  Agriculteurs  de  France, 
the  Academic  d' Agriculture,  the  Institut  Na- 
tional Agronomique,  and  the  Societe  Nationale 
pour  TEncouragement  a  I'Agriculture,  have 
been  taking  an  effective  part  in  the  encourage- 
ment of  farming  in  the  devastated  regions. 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    237 

The  first-named  society  in  particular  has  dis- 
tributed a  quantity  of  farm  implements  in  the 
liberated  regions.  The  Inter-allied  Congress 
of  World  Agriculture,  held  by  the  United 
States  Army  Educational  Commission  at  the 
United  States  Army  University  at  Beaune,  on 
June  7,  8,  9,  and  10,  1919,  was  of  the  greatest 
service  in  drawing  attention  to  the  problems  in 
the  devastated  regions  and  in  helping  to  stand- 
ardize farming-methods. 

The  labor  unions  were  very  strong  in  the 
North  before  the  war.  In  the  department  of 
the  Nord,  for  example,  there  were  299  labor 
unions  and  164  farmers'  unions;  in  the  Marne 
there  were  62  labor  unions  and  258  farmers' 
unions;  in  the  Meurthe-et-Moselle  there  were 
38  labor  unions,  and  165  farmers'  unions. 
These  groups  are  getting  back  on  their  feet  as 
rapidly  as  they  can  and  are  bound  to  be  a  big 
factor  in  the  reestablishment  of  economic  life. 

In  the  final  analysis  it  is  the  effort  of  the 
individual  that  is  going  to  count  most  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  destroyed  country.  The 
basis  of  all  is  the  farmer.  We  have  seen  on 
every  hand  how  determinedly  he  has  set  him- 
self to  the  task.     Every  member  of  the  family 


238  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

works,  from  the  youngest  child  to  the  old 
grandfather  or  grandmother.  As  soon  as  it  is 
light  enough  to  work,  these  people  are  out  in 
the  fields,  and  they  keep  continuously  at  it 
until  after  dark ;  seven  days  a  week  they  work 
and  they  take  no  time  off  except  to  go  to  the 
market  or  the  country  fair.  Little  shops  are 
springing  up  throughout  the  devastated  re- 
gions, where  farming-machinery  or  implements 
can  be  repaired.  Seeds,  fertilizer,  and  farm 
animals  are  more  and  more  available.  We  can 
rest  assured  that  if  the  Government  continues 
to  do  its  best  in  providing  the  necessary  facili- 
ties, agriculture  will  be  back  on  pre-war  basis 
in  a  surprisingly  short  time. 

The  same  thing  is  true  of  industry  and  of 
commerce.  The  private  initiative  is  there,  the 
will  to  work  is  there.  In  every  town  there  are 
plenty  of  people  who  are  ready  to  carry  on  the 
stores  if  only  they  can  be  assured  that  their 
goods  will  arrive.  There  are  plenty  of  manu- 
facturers that  are  ready  to  start  up  their  plants, 
if  only  they  can  count  on  a  regular  delivery  of 
their  raw  materials  and  of  sufficient  housing  for 
their  employees. 


PRIVATE  ORGANIZATION    239 

It  finally  comes  down  in  large  measure  to  a 
problem  of  building,  and  there  again  we  find 
plenty  of  will  to  work,  the  only  difficulty  being 
the  limitations  of  technical  experience.  The 
town  baker  at  La  Bassee,  who  was  the  first 
man  to  return,  found  his  home  and  his  bakery 
flat  on  the  ground,  but  he  set  to  work  and 
cleared  away  a  space,  and  although  he  was  no 
builder,  he  set  up  such  posts  as  he  could  salvage 
where  he  wanted  the  comers  of  his  building, 
and  others  around  his  doors  and  windows,  and 
then  filled  in  the  spaces  between  with  any  bro- 
ken pieces  of  brick  he  could  find  in  the  ruins, 
laying  them  in  mud  mortar.  He  put  some 
boards  and  some  corrugated  iron  across  the  top 
of  this  structure,  and  had  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  a  house.  He  even  became  so  am- 
bitious as  to  build  a  chimney  and  fireplace  of 
brick-bats  and  mud. 

It  was  in  the  little  farm-village  of  Esmery- 
Hallon  that  I  found  the  village  mason  building 
a  most  successful  emergency  house  in  the  gar- 
den behind  his  former  home,  using  the  same  sort 
of  materials  that  the  baker  was  using  at  La 
Bassee.     The  walls  were  plumb  and  true  and 


240  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

the  house  really  had  a  good  deal  of  charm.  He 
did  the  work  unaided  and  in  a  surprisingly 
short  time. 

Less  successful  but  much  more  picturesque 
was  a  little  house  on  the  edge  of  the  same 
town  which  was  thrown  together  by  a  gardener 
who  knew  nothing  whatsoever  about  building. 
It  was  a  patchwork  of  every  sort  of  material 
imaginable,  pulled  out  of  the  ruins — such  a 
mixture  that  it  at  first  seemed  a  very  success- 
ful bit  of  camouflage.  However,  the  house 
satisfied  all  of  the  builder's  needs,  even  through 
the  sleety  winter  weather,  and  was  really  very 
comfortable  inside. 

These  people  are  finding  a  way  out  and  with 
the  least  encouragement  will  be  able  to  settle 
down  for  good  in  their  former  homes. 


CHAPTER  X 

RESULTS  AND   NEEDS 

Facts  and  figures  really  signify  little.  In 
order  to  appreciate  what  devastation  means 
you  must  see  it  yourself  with  your  own  eyes. 
And  what  is  more  you  must  see  it  again  and 
again;  otherwise  it  does  not  sink  in. 

If  you  would  appreciate  the  enormous  task 
that  France  has  before  her,  if  you  would  appre- 
ciate the  courage  and  the  splendid  spirit  with 
which  she  has  attacked  it,  if  you  would  appre- 
ciate what  she  has  actually  done  toward  the  re- 
establishment  of  the  devastated  regions,  you 
must  go  through  them  and  note  the  prog- 
ress she  has  made  from  month  to  month;  for 
things  are  being  done  and  the  regions  are  com- 
ing back. 

When  I  was  in  Noyon  in  the  summer  of 
1917,  after  the  Germans  had  been  driven  out, 
the  town  and  its  cathedral  were  almost  intact. 
I  passed  through  again  after  dark  on  New 
Year's  Day,  1919:  the  place  was  a  mass  of 
ghostly  ruins ;  no  light  anywhere,  nobody  in  the 

241 


242  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

street  except  an  occasional  poilu — a  city  of  the 
dead.  I  returned  once  more  on  Easter  Day: 
the  resurrection  had  taken  place;  hundreds  of 
courageous  men,  women,  and  children  had  come 
back  and  were  living  somehow  in  the  ruins  of 
their  homes.  Easter  service  was  held  in  the 
ruins  of  the  cathedral  chapel  under  a  cover  of 
rusty  corrugated  iron.  A  number  of  stores 
were  open  and  doing  a  lively  business  and 
everywhere  one  could  buy  post-cards  and 
souvenirs  of  the  ruins.  To-day  several  thou- 
sand parsons  are  back,  a  number  of  barracks 
and  portable  houses  have  been  erected,  and 
people  are  actively  at  work  clearing  away  the 
ruins  and  beginning  to  rebuild. 

In  many  ways  Lens  is  the  most  impressive 
sight  in  the  devastated  regions.  This  mining 
city  had  over  32,000  habitants  before  the  war, 
but  when  I  was  there  in  February  only  about 
a  hundred  people  had  managed  to  return  and 
find  a  miserable  shelter  for  themselves  in  their 
wrecked  homes.  To-day,  however — ^that  is,  in 
July,  1919 — over  2,500  persons  are  back;  a 
number  of  barracks  have  been  erected,  and  a 
good  start  has  been  made  toward  the  clearing 
away  of  the  ruins. 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       243 

When  I  first  went  back  to  Rheims,  last  win- 
ter, nearly  2,000  persons  had  ventured  to  re- 
turn, the  city  water-supply  had  been  put  back 
into  operation,  but  there  was  no  sewage-dis- 
posal, no  lights,  not  even  a  restaurant ;  to-day 
there  are  nearly  40,000  people  there ;  stores, 
souvenir  shops,  and  restaurants  abound  on 
every  hand,  and  the  pastry  is  as  good  as  that 
one  gets  in  Paris.  To  be  sure,  the  inhabitants 
have  only  just  begun  to  clear  away  the  ruins, 
but  every  house  that  is  at  all  reparable  is  be- 
ing made  habitable,  800  barracks  have  been  put 
up,  and  Rheims  is  very  actively  concerned  with 
its  new  plans  for  making  the  future  city  more 
practical,  more  sanitary,  and  more  beautiful 
than  the  city  of  the  past. 

When  we  come  to  the  little  village  of  Vitri- 
mont  and  others  of  the  resurrected  villages 
along  the  old  battle  line  of  the  Marne,  we  can 
see  the  devastated  regions  as  they  will  be  ten, 
fifteen,  twenty  years  from  now — in  many  cases 
more  noble,  more  beautiful  for  having  been 
purged  by  fire. 

The  saddest  towns  are  those  that  will  never 
come  back.  Douaunfont,  Fleury,  Vaux,  and 
eight  other  communes  that  stood  the  brunt  of 


'2U        OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

the  attack  on  Verdun  are  now  merely  memo* 
ries,  for  on  April,  1919,  the  mayors  of  these 
towns  wrote  to  their  fellow-townsmen  that  they 
must  never  return.  The  ruins  of  the  towns  are 
full  of  dangers  and  the  fields  can  never  be 
recultivated.  There  may  be  a  hundred  or 
more  of  these  tragic  villages  that  never  can  be 
rebuilt. 

There  are  250,000  acres  of  good  farming- 
land  that  is  so  badly  churned  up  by  shell  fire 
and  so  cut  up  with  trenches  that  the  experts 
say  to  bring  it  back  into  use  will  cost  more  than 
it  is  worth.  The  State  is  talking  of  expropri- 
ating this  land,  with  the  villages  that  are  irre- 
claimable, but  the  owners  object;  they  cannot 
be  persuaded  that  the  earth  is  sterile.  They 
believe  it  will  work  itself  back  into  shape  in  a 
comparatively  short  time,  especially  if  they 
help  the  process  along  by  bringing  in  top-soil 
themselves.  They  say,  too,  that  if  the  State  is 
going  to  reforest  these  tracts,  there  is  no  reason 
why  they  should  not  do  so  themselves.  The 
problem  will  work  itself  out  in  time  and  the 
regions  will  come  back. 

Agriculture  in  general  is  coming  back  and 


Prom   the  center  of  the  city  of  thirty-five  thousand  people 
before    the    war. 


^  .J^^^^f^ 


DESERTED     MEDIEVAL    TOWN    OF    CONCY-LE-CHATEAU,    AISNE 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS        245 

coming  back  rapidly.  You  can  see  batteries 
of  tractors  at  work  almost  anywhere  from  Bel- 
gium to  Alsace.  Each  day  sees  several  hun- 
dred acres  more  brought  back  under  cultiva- 
tion. Seed,  fertilizer,  implements,  and  farm 
animals  are  arriving  daily  in  rapidly  increasing 
quantities. 

Industry  is  coming  back.  Each  day  the  of- 
ficial bulletins  of  the  government  list  anywhere 
from  five  to  twenty  damaged  industrial  plants 
that  have  again  opened  their  doors  and  are  ask- 
ing for  employees.  The  number  of  people  in 
Lille,  Amiens,  and  Rheims  who  have  been  out 
of  work  is  decreasing. 

We  find  a  marked  tendency  among  the  peo- 
ple to  crowd  into  the  industrial  centers  at  the 
expense  of  the  country  districts.  Fortunately, 
this  is  balanced  by  the  rapidly  increasing  use 
of  agricultural  machinery,  which  means  that 
the  same  acreage  can  be  cultivated  by  a  little 
over  half  the  number  of  men  needed  by  the  old- 
fashioned  method.  This  means,  in  turn,  that 
some  of  the  destroyed  agricultural  villages  will 
never  need  to  be  rebuilt  and  that  most  of  the 
others  will  have  smaller  populations  than  be- 


246  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

fore  the  war.  All  of  this  is  most  fortunate, 
because  it  makes  the  stupendous  problem  of 
reconstruction  a  little  easier  to  solve. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  problem  of  industrial 
housing  becomes  more  menacing.  There  is 
need  to-day  of  several  hundred  thousand  new 
houses  for  industrial  workers.  The  problem 
is  fully  as  acute  in  France  as  it  is  in  the  United 
States,  and  almost  as  acute  as  it  is  in  England, 
but  these  other  two  countries  are  concen- 
trating on  industrial  housing,  while  France  will 
be  able  to  pay  very  little  attention  to  it  until 
she  has  taken  care  of  her  reconstruction.  It  is 
hard  for  the  soldier  who  has  given  everything 
for  his  country  to  have  to  come  back  to  live  in 
worse  slums  than  he  left.  He  deserves  a  far 
better  lot.  But  all  of  the  labor,  material,  and 
transportation  that  France  has  available  will 
be  monopolized  by  the  devastated  regions  for 
many  years  to  come. 

With  regard  to  labor,  it  is  a  great  question 
where  it  is  coming  from.  There  were  between 
500,000  and  600,000  building-trades  workmen 
in  France  before  the  war,  of  which  at  least 
100,000  were  killed  or  are  unable  to  resume 
their  trade.     At  least  100,000  to  200,000  more 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       247 

will  be  needed  just  for  repair  and  renewal 
work  throughout  the  rest  of  France.  This 
leaves  only  200,000  or  300,000  men  available  in 
the  devastated  regions.  At  a  safe  estimate  it 
will  take  these  men  nearly  twenty  years  to  re- 
construct the  essential  buildings  that  have  been 
destroyed.  There  is  no  labor  available  in 
England,  there  is  none  in  America,  there  is 
none  in  Belgium,  and  the  French  do  not  wish 
to  call  in  German  workmen  if  there  is  any 
other  way  possible.  All  that  is  left  are  the 
few  thousands  of  skilled  workmen  available 
in  Spain  and  in  Italy  and  such  unskilled  work- 
men as  can  be  brought  from  the  French  colo- 
nies and  from  China.  The  French  architects, 
engineers,  and  builders  realize  that  their  salva- 
tion lies  in  adopting  labor-saving  methods  and 
machinery  wherever  it  can  possibly  be  done. 
That  is  why  they  have  sent  an  expert  commis- 
sion to  America  to  see  what  the  United  States 
can  contribute  in  ideas  or  machinery,  and  why 
they  have  organized  strong  conmiittees  to 
standardize  building-material  and  construction. 
Most  of  the  material  needed  in  the  construc- 
tion France  can  produce  herself.  But  in  or- 
der to  begin  producing  it  in  large  quantities 


248         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

she  needs  certain  machinery  and  tools  that  can 
be  had  quickly  only  from  abroad.  Further- 
more, she  needs  certain  raw  materials  quicker 
and  in  greater  quantities  than  she  can  supply 
them  from  within  her  own  borders.  In  par- 
ticular she  needs  wood  and  cement,  and,  to  a 
lesser  extent,  glass  and  iron.  She  will  need 
much  coal  for  making  brick,  cement,  lime,  and 
steel,  and  much  gasolene  to  supply  transporta- 
tion motive  power. 

In  industry  she  needs  certain  raw  materials, 
such  as  cotton,  wool,  leather,  and  various  chem- 
icals. 

In  agriculture  she  needs  a  number  of  agri- 
cultural machines  and  implements  in  addition 
to  those  she  can  manufacture  herself  or  get 
back  from  Germany.  A  list  of  these  was  given 
in  the  chapter  on  Devastation.  Furthermore, 
she  will  need  fully  200,000  horses;  700,000 
cows;  800,000  sheep;  300,000  pigs;  all  of  which 
will  probably  have  to  be  supplied  from  outside. 
Of  the  212,000  tons  of  fertilizer  needed,  the 
potash  beds  in  Alsace  will  supply  a  consider- 
able part,  but  probably  100,000  tons  will  have 
to  come  from  abroad. 

The  material  that  is  coming  from  the  hquida- 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       249 

tion  of  the  French,  British,  and  American 
Army  stores  is  helping  wonderfully ;  but  there 
are  many  specific  things  needed  imme- 
diately, that  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  sal- 
vage stock. 

This  is  why  the  decree  of  July  8, 1919,  which 
admits  almost  all  raw  and  manufactured  mate- 
rials without  restriction  except  for  the  in- 
creased duties,  is  bound  to  prove  of  inestima- 
ble value.  The  door  is  now  opened,  and 
Americans,  British,  and  other  foreigners  can 
take  a  more  practical  interest  in  the  reconstruc- 
tion problems  of  France. 

The  American  and  the  French  merchants 
need  each  other.  They  want  to  do  business 
together.  They  should  do  far  more  than  they 
have  done  in  the  past ;  but  unfortunately  there 
are  many  little  misunderstandings  that  have 
seriously  retarded  the  growth  of  exportation 
and  importation  between  the  two  countries. 
When  I  visited  France  in  1916,  on  the  Ameri- 
can Industrial  Commission,  the  French  manu- 
facturers and  chambers  of  commerce  told  us 
frankly  that  there  were  several  difficulties  that 
would  have  to  be  overcome  before  the  French 
would  place  orders  heavily  in  America.     The 


250         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

first  question  was  one  of  credit,  because  most 
American  exporters  demand  half  down  when 
the  order  is  placed  and  the  balance  when  the 
goods  leave  America;  this  not  only  ties  up 
French  capital  for  an  unnecessarily  long  time, 
but  the  consignee  has  no  redress  in  case  the 
goods  when  they  arrive  are  not  according  to 
the  specifications.  Furthermore,  a  number  of 
French  manufacturers  are  complaining  to-day 
that  they  paid  half  down  in  America  months 
ago  on  the  promise  of  immediate  delivery,  but 
that  the  American  manufacturer  presents  one 
excuse  after  another  for  not  delivering;  the 
result  is  that  the  French  capital  is  tied  up  so 
that  the  Frenchman  cannot  transfer  his  orders 
to  England  or  elsewhere;  meanwhile  his  plant 
and  his  workmen  lie  idle.  Another  cause  of 
trouble  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  American  ex- 
porters are  in  many  cases  behind  those  of  other 
nations  in  trying  to  make  their  goods  conform 
to  French  standards  and  tastes,  and  often  send 
them  packed  in  such  a  way  that  they  do  not 
stand  the  ocean  voyage. 

In  addition  to  the  American  Industrial 
Commission  which  came  over  to  study  the 
French  situation  in  1916,  there  was  the  Engi- 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       251 

neering  Commission  which  came  over  in  1918, 
and  an  Educational  Commission  which  came 
over  in  the  spring  of  1919.  The  United 
States  Government  and  the  large  banking,  ex- 
porting, and  contracting  interests  have  sent 
over  any  number  of  committees  and  experts  to 
study  these  problems.  The  American  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  in  France  has  been  indefatig- 
able in  trying  to  solve  them.  The  Franco- 
American  Mission,  of  which  Monsieur  Tardieu 
is  the  head,  has  been  most  active  in  promoting 
public  and  private  negotiations  between  the 
two  countries.  The  Society  called  France- 
Amerique,  and  other  Franco- American  groups, 
have  been  very  successful  in  creating  a  better 
understanding  in  each  country  of  the  needs 
and  problems  of  the  other. 

There  has  been  organized  in  the  United 
States  an  exchange-press  service  between 
America  and  France,  America  and  Belgium, 
with  Italy,  and  with  England,  to  publish  gen- 
erally in  each  of  the  countries  worth-while 
articles  on  economic,  social,  and  political  situa- 
tions in  the  others.  There  has  also  been 
organized  in  each  of  the  four  European  coun- 
tries just  mentioned,  a  conmiission  composed 


252         OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

of  leading  business  men,  manufacturers,  and 
bankers,  which  is  going  to  the  United  States  in 
September,  1919,  as  the  guest  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  in  the  inter- 
est of  creating  better  understanding  between 
the  countries. 

Meanwhile  American  exporters,  bankers, 
contractors,  and  promoters,  have  been  coming 
to  France  in  rapidly  increasing  numbers ;  vari- 
ous American  financial  groups  stand  ready  to 
make  large  loans  in  France ;  the  American  ex- 
porters in  their  understanding  with  the  bank- 
ers are  already  making  much  easier  credit  con- 
ditions to  the  French;  American  contractors, 
associating  with  French  contractors,  are  al- 
ready getting  started  on  reconstruction  con- 
tracts. The  possibilities  of  collaboration  and 
of  good  business  between  the  two  countries  are 
increasing  daily. 

Another  problem  of  great  importance  to 
France  in  a  business  way  is  that  of  the  tourists 
and  their  hotels,  for  without  any  question,  for 
many  years  to  come,  the  country  will  be  over- 
run with  tourists  from  every  corner  of  the 
globe  and  especially  from  America.  The  tour- 
ing-Club de  France,  the  Automobile  Club  de 


VITRIMONT,     MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE 
Rebuilt   by   the   California    Committee. 


THE    CARPENTER    SHOP    OF   THE    AMERICAN    COMMITTEE   FOR 
DEVASTATED    FRANCE,    AT    BLERANCOURT,    AISNE 


RECLAMATION     OF     LAND     IN     THE    DEVASTATED     REGION     OF 
FRANCE 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       25^ 

^France,  the  National  Hotel  Syndicate,  all  real- 
ize this  keenly  and  have  been  preparing  for  it 
for  some  time.  The  Hotel  Committee  of  the 
Tom-ing  Club  published  a  report  in  1917,  em- 
bodying a  complete  hotel  program  for  France, 
showing  on  a  map  just  where  hotels  were 
needed  and  the  character  and  size  of  each;  in 
all  it  estimated  that  France  should  construct 
immediately  600,000,000  francs'  worth  of  new 
hotels.  A  number  of  these  projects  are  al- 
ready being  realized,  often  with  the  help  of 
foreign  capital,  but  as  soon  as  the  government 
"Credit  HoteHer"  is  voted  work  will  be  ac- 
tively undertaken. 

In  1917  the  French  Government  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  create  a  Government  Tourist 
OiSce  to  promote  this  great  national  industry. 
The  result  was  the  creation  of  the  Office  Na- 
tional de  Tourisme,  under  the  direction  of 
Monsieur  Famechon,  and  attached  to  the  Min- 
istry of  Commerce.  On  February  17,  1919, 
there  was  a  congress  in  Paris  of  the  four  hun- 
dred Syndicats  dTnitiative,  or  boosting  socie- 
ties, of  France.  They  are  cooperating  heartily 
in  the  movement  to  prepare  for  tourists. 

Recently  it  has  become  apparent  that  the 


254  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

new  hotels  can  never  be  built  in  time  to  meet 
the  demands,  so  these  societies  are  concentrat- 
ing on  an  effort  to  induce  the  thousands  of 
little  hotels  and  inns  to  do  immediately  the 
things  necessary  to  make  them  meet  the  mini- 
mum specifications  of  the  Touring  Club  for  an 
acceptable  hotel. 

Ever  since  April,  1919,  conmiercial  tours  to 
the  devastated  regions  have  been  in  prog- 
ress. The  two  railroad  companies  in  the 
devastated  regions  have  each  organized  several 
which  they  call  ''pilgrimages."  Automobile 
touring  is  limited  only  by  the  cost  of  gasolene 
and  the  price  of  tires.  Several  thousand  peo- 
ple come  to  Rheims  every  day  to  see  the  ruins 
and  the  battle-fields  near  by.  Most  of  these 
tourists  are  only  a  few  hours  in  the  devastated 
regions  at  a  time  and  spend  little  or  no  money 
there.  This  is  giving  rise  to  much  unpleasant 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  who  quite 
justifiably  demand  that  the  tourists  should  con- 
tribute to  the  reestablishment  of  the  communi- 
ties by  a  sojom'n  tax  at  least.  This  problem  is 
bound  to  become  increasingly  acute  as  time 
goes  on. 

So  far  we  have  been  discussing  only  the  busi- 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       255 

ness  problems  of  reconstruction.  There  is  an- 
other side  that  proves  far  more  interesting  to 
many  people,  and  that  is  the  philanthropic  side. 
Ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  we  have 
been  hearing  about  the  adoption  of  towns;  a 
great  deal  of  sentiment  has  grown  up  in  Eu- 
rope and  the  United  States  in  favor  of  helping 
the  destroyed  villages  come  back  to  life. 

The  first  real  adoption  to  come  to  any  practi- 
cal result  was  in  Vitrimont,  in  the  Meurthe-et- 
Moselle.  There  virtually  the  entire  village  has 
been  rebuilt  by  an  American  committee,  and 
it  is  the  only  village  that  has  been  completely 
rebuilt  in  the  whole  of  the  devastated  region. 

In  the  summer  of  1917,  several  villages  in  the 
Somme  and  the  Oise  were  tentatively  adopted 
by  Americans  who  expected  to  rebuild  them; 
but  the  German  advance  in  the  spring  of  1918 
stopped  these  plans. 

Since  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  one  after 
another,  we  have  heard  of  the  adoption  of  this 
town  or  that.  Bordeaux  has  adopted  Albert 
and  has  already  sent  it  150,000  francs;  Cler- 
mont-en-Argonne  has  been  adopted  by  Cler- 
mont-Ferrand ;  Roye,  by  Rambouillet ;  Pont-a- 
Mousson,  by  Metz ;  Herpy,  by  Aries ;  Chauny 


256        OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

et  La  Bassee,  by  Chartres;  Arras,  by  Mar- 
seilles (already  over  a  million  francs  have  been 
sent  to  Arras)  ;  Vouziers  has  been  adopted  by 
Rennes;  St.  Laurent-Blangy,  by  Versailles; 
Suippes,  by  St.  Nazaire;  Sampigny,  by  Mul- 
house;  Laon  and  St.  Quentin,  by  Lyon;  Pet- 
tancourt  in  the  Lorraine  by  the  Eleventh  Ward 
of  Paris,  and  a  nameless  village  by  Barcelona. 

There  have  been  many  unofficial  rumors 
about  Americans  having  adopted  this  or  that 
town,  but  up  to  July,  1919,  the  only  applica- 
tions that  have  been  officially  recognized  by 
the  French  Government  were  the  adoption  of 
Hattonchatel  in  the  Meuse  by  Miss  Skinner 
of  Holyoke,  Mass. ;  Coucy-le-Chateau  by  Mrs. 
Whitney  Warren  of  New  York ;  Landres  and 
St.  Georges  near  Romagne  by  "The  Delinea- 
tor" ;  and  Rheims  in  part  by  the  City  of  Chi- 
cago; also,  the  American  Fund  for  French 
Wounded  is  giving  a  three-hundred-thousand- 
dollar  hospital  to  Rheims;  and  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  New  York  city  are  raising  money 
to  rebuild  destroyed  churches  in  France. 

To  gain  a  concrete  idea  of  what  adoption 
may  mean,  the  letter  written  on  June  17,  1919, 
by  the  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Rheims  to  Ex- 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       257 

Mayor  Dunne  of  Chicago,  is  most  interesting. 
In  this  letter  the  following  four  specific  things 
are  named  as  the  items  for  which  the  help  of 
Chicago  would  be  most  appreciated: 

(1)  The  creation  of  garden  suburbs,  with 
at  least  100  model  dwellings  for  working-men, 
with  plenty  of  parks  and  gardens.  Such  a 
garden  suburb  would  cost  about  2,000,000 
francs,  exclusive  of  the  public  baths  which  it 
would  be  most  desirable  to  have  with  each 
suburb.  The  new  city  plans  call  for  four  such 
suburbs. 

(2)  Almost  all  of  the  hospitals  of  Rheims 
were  destroyed.  The  American  Fund  for 
French  Wounded  is  building  a  splendid  hospi- 
tal for  children,  but  it  is  most  desirable  that  a 
large  general  hospital  should  be  built  to  take 
care  of  the  other  needs  of  the  town.  Such  a 
hospital  would  cost  from  6,000,000  to  10,000,- 
000  francs. 

(3)  The  Public  Library,  which  was  in- 
stalled in  a  corner  of  the  old  town  hall,  was 
completely  destroyed;  but  fortunately  all  the 
magnificent  collections,  manuscripts,  engrav- 
ings,   etc. — some   40,000   items — ^were    saved. 


258  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

and  would  form  the  nucleus  of  a  new  library 
built  on  the  old  site.  It  would  cost  about  2,- 
000,000  francs  to  build  the  library  and  about 
2,000,000  francs  more  to  replace  its  destroyed 
books. 

(4)  There  is  great  need  of  a  Scientific  In- 
stitute in  the  School  of  Medicine,  in  which 
there  would  be  laboratories  for  the  study  of 
bacteriology,  chemistry,  botany,  physiology, 
and  viticulture. 

At  Hattonchatel,  Miss  Skinner  started  her 
"adoption"  by  providing  for  the  repair  of  the 
water-supply  system  installed  by  the  Germans 
during  their  occupation.  She  is  assuming  the 
extra  cost  of  removing  the  manure  piles  from 
before  the  houses  and  installing  them  hygieni- 
cally  in  the  rear  instead. 

The  question  arises  so  often  about  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  ''adoption,"  that  I  asked  Mon- 
sieur Mauclere,  the  Commissioner-General  in 
the  Ministry  of  Liberated  Regions,  if  he  would 
give  me  an  official  definition  of  it.  On  June  2, 
1919,  he  wrote  me  that  the  French  Govern- 
ment and  the  French  people  were  most  appre- 
ciative of  the  good  wishes  of  their  American 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       259 

friends  and  most  grateful  for  what  Americans 
were  doing  for  the  unfortunate  people  in  the 
devastated  regions.  He  called  my  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  war-damage  law  provided 
for  the  payment  in  full  of  all  losses  sustained, 
which  meant  that  if  a  benefactor  reconstructed 
private  buildings  at  his  own  expense,  either  the 
proprietor  of  the  house  would  be  paid  twice 
over,  or  the  benefactor  would  be  making  his 
gift  to  the  French  Government.  For  that 
reason  he  felt  that  gifts  should  be  used  solely 
for  improvements  which  would  not  be  paid  for 
by  the  State.  Furthermore,  he  felt  that  these 
improvements  ought  to  be  to  the  advantage 
of  a  group  of  people  or  the  town  as  a  whole, 
rather  than  for  the  benefit  of  any  one  individ- 
ual. For  example,  he  thought  that  giving  a 
pubhc  shower-bath  would  be  much  more  use- 
ful than  giving  separate  baths  to  a  number  of 
individuals ;  giving  a  public  water-supply  or  a 
sewer  system  much  more  desirable  than  pro- 
viding individual  wells  or  improving  individual 
privies  or  water-closets.  He  felt  that  the  time 
for  giving  or  even  selling  relief  supplies  had 
nearly  passed,  because  if  continued  much 
longer  it  would  prevent  normal  business  from 


260  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

reestablishing  itself,  and  would  lead  only  to 
pauperization.  He  felt  that  gifts  could  be 
made  to  better  advantage  for  the  collective  im- 
provement of  physical  and  moral  life.  He 
said: 

"All  the  pecuniary  and  material  resources 
and  all  of  the  collaboration  of  your  admirably 
trained  public-health  nurses  and  welfare  work- 
ers that  you  can  put  at  the  disposition  of  the 
groups  that  are  trying  to  found  community 
centers  in  the  devastated  regions  will  be  most 
keenly  appreciated  by  us."  He  went  on  to 
say:  '*In  this  public-health  and  community- 
center  work  we  are  at  the  very  beginning,  while 
you  have  already  had  a  long  experience.  We 
have  plenty  of  good-will,  but  to  put  it  into  ef- 
fective use  we  shall  for  some  time  need  your 
instruction  and  guidance." 

Monsieur  Mauclere  was  convinced  that  the 
creation  of  a  health  and  community  center,  en- 
dowed for  a  period  until  it  could  get  thor- 
oughly on  its  feet,  was  the  greatest  contribu- 
tion that  Americans  could  make. 

I  have  talked  with  a  number  of  the  French 
leaders  about  this,  and  they  seem  to  be  pretty 
generally  of  the  opinion  that  something  of  this 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       261 

sort  that  will  improve  the  physical  and  moral 
well-being  of  the  returning  refugees  is  the 
thing  that  is  most  worth  while.  With  the  pas- 
sage of  the  eight-hour  law  in  France  most  peo- 
ple have  gained  an  hour  or  two  of  leisure.  The 
problem  is  how  to  use  this  extra  time  to  best 
advantage.  There  has  been  great  physical 
and  moral  strain  during  the  war  and  people 
need  a  chance  to  relax  and  recuperate.  The 
returning  soldier,  as  Monsieur  Lebrun,  Minis- 
ter of  Liberated  Regions,  so  wisely  remarked, 
deserves  the  best  his  country  can  give  him — a 
real  home  in  healthy,  comfortable,  charming 
surroundings,  a  better  place  than  the  saloon 
for  his  physical  and  mental  recreation,  and  a 
happy  environment  for  his  family. 

The  Young  Women's  Christian  Association 
has  been  doing  some  wonderful  work  of  this 
sort  for  the  young  women  in  the  factory  towns 
of  France.  The  1,500  foyers  des  soldats, 
which  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
had  so  much  to  do  with  organizing  and  running, 
have  proved  to  be  of  inestimable  value.  Now 
thirty  foyers  des  soldats  in  the  devastated 
regions  are  being  changed  into  foyers  civils  for 
the  returning  refugees  and  the  workmen.     The 


262  OUT  OF  THE  RUINS 

Ligue  Civique  is  creating  foyers  civiques;  an- 
other group  is  creating  maisons  de  tons;  an- 
other group  has  already  started  several  rural 
community  centers,  called  foyers  de  cam- 
pagnes. 

The  idea  of  these  is  the  same  in  each  case. 
One  part  of  the  group  is  to  be  used  as  a  health 
center,  with  a  dispensary,  shower-baths,  and 
disinfection  plant ;  a  second  part  is  to  consist  of 
one  or  more  meeting-rooms,  which  can  be  used 
by  reconstruction  cooperative  societies,  agricul- 
tural syndicates,  a  children's  club,  a  mothers' 
club,  or  any  other  community  group;  and  the 
third  part  would  be  used  just  Mke  our  Ameri- 
can community  centers,  as  a  general  meeting- 
place,  with  a  library,  newspapers,  and  maga- 
zines, games,  motion-picture  shows,  dances, 
theatricals,  often  with  a  temperance  canteen  at- 
tached. Already  a  number  of  these  are  being 
organized  by  the  various  groups.  The  idea  is 
taking  hold  and  is  bound  to  spread  rapidly. 

Now  that  peace  is  signed  the  heads  of  the 
French  Government  are  devoting  themselves 
actively  to  the  liberated  regions.  Monsieur 
Clemenceau,  returning  from  a  trip  in  the  dev- 
astated towns,  has  promised  that  the  Govern- 


RESULTS  AND  NEEDS       263 

ment  will  speed  up  its  machinery  in  those 
regions;  in  particular  he  insists  that  200,000 
refugees  that  are  now  Hving  in  most  temporary 
shelters  must  be  and  are  going  to  be  decently 
housed  before  next  winter.  Every  effort  is 
now  being  directed  toward  this  end. 

France  has  suffered  four  and  a  half  years  of 
cruel  war  on  her  own  territory ;  a  large  part  of 
her  best  source  of  revenue  has  been  cut  off; 
her  coal  and  iron  and  textiles  have  been  taken 
from  her;  millions  of  British  and  American 
troops  have  been  quartered  all  over  her  land, 
and  in  addition  several  million  refugees  have 
been  billeted  throughout  the  country ;  a  million 
and  a  half  of  her  best  men  have  been  killed,  and 
another  million  maimed;  through  four  and  a 
half  years  she  has  kept  up  the  pace  and  carried 
through.  If  ever  a  nation  has  earned  the  right 
to  a  helping  hand,  it  is  France.  Yet  in  her 
pride  and  her  self-respect  she  is  meeting  her 
new  problems  of  reconstruction  with  an  energy 
and  a  vision  that  the  most  callous  must  admire. 
It  is  a  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  collaborate 
with  such  a  people^ 

THE  END 


INDEX 


Academie   d' Agriculture,    236 

Administrative  Service,  The, 
15D  et  seq. 

Adoption,  meaning  of,  of  a 
town,  256  et  seq. 

Agricultural  cooperative  soci- 
eties, 171 

Agricultural  Service,  The:  159 
&t  geq.,  168;  reconstruction 
vrork  of,  169  et  seq. 

Agriculture:  pre-war  state  of, 
in  Belgium  and  France,  3,  4, 
34  et  $eq.;  cost  to  reestab- 
lish, in  war  zone,  36,  37;  re- 
establishment  of,  in  devas- 
tated region,  ^36;  return  of, 
to  war  zone,  ^44,  945;  needs 
of  France  in  relation  to, 
248 

Aide  Immediate,  L',  98 

Aisne,  11,  27,  54,  95,  171,  203, 
229 

Aisne  D^vastee,  L',  96 

Albert:  29,  80,  195;  plan  for 
rebuilding,  197;  adoption 
of,  by  Bordeaux,  255 

Allies,  extent  of  area  won 
back  from  Germany  by  the, 
30 

Alsace:  agricultural  syndi- 
cates in,  222  et  seq.;  agri- 
cultural activities  in,  245, 
248 

Alsace-Lorraine,  description 
of,  57 

America:   relief   work   of,   in 


265 


war  zone,  102,  234;  recon- 
struction commission  sent 
to,  by  France,  208;  commer- 
cial cooperation  of  France 
and,  249,  250 

American  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce in  France,  251 

American  Committee  for  Dev- 
astated France,  101,  109  et 
seq. 

American  Friends'  Mission, 
105  et  seq. 

American  Fund  for  French 
Wounded:  97;  relief  work 
of,  102,  110,  111,  256 

American  Industrial  Commis- 
sion, 249,  251 

American  Red  Cross:  care  of 
refugees  by,  17  et  seq.j  96, 
98,  105,  111  et  seq.,  118-120; 
reconstruction  work  of,  203, 
207,  230  et  seq. 

American  Women's  Hospitals, 
110 

American  Relief  Clearing 
House,  96,  118 

Americans  at  Vaux,  25 

Amiens:  6,  7,  55,  200,  218; 
furniture  exhibition  in,  231, 
232;  present  industrial  con- 
ditions in,  245 

Anglo- American  Friends'  Mis- 
sion, 105  et  seq. 

Appilly,  99 

Ardennes:  56;  building  prod- 
ucts in,  203 


266 


INDEX 


Aries,  955 

Armenti^res,    plans     for    re- 
building, 197 
Army  Engineering  Corps,  175, 

178 
Arras,  6,  7,  29,   55,   195,   180; 

plans    for    rebuilding,    197, 

219,  231,  256 
Art,  in  Northern  France  and 

Belgium  before  the  war,  5,  6 
Assistance   aux   Depots   d'Ec- 

loppes,  98 
Association   Centrale  pour   la 

Reprise  de  I'Activit^  Indus- 

trielle  dans  les  Regions  En- 

vahies,  L',  209,  210 
Association  Generale  des  Hy- 

gienistes  et  Techniciens  Mu- 

nicipaux,  232,  233 
Atrocities,  German,  9  et  seq. 
Automobile   Club   de   France, 

251,  252 


Baboeuf,  99 

Bailly,  99 

Bapaume,  27 

Barbey,  Mr.,  230 

Barcelona,  256 

Bar-le-Duc,  198 

Barton,  Mr.,  230 

Beauvais,  6,  11,  218 

Belfort:  29;  plans  for  rebuild- 
ing, 197 

Belgian  Relief  Commission, 
102 

Belgium:  pre-war  prosperity 
of,  3  et  seq.;  exodus  of  pop- 
ulation from,  7  et  seq.;  loot 
of,  by  Germans,  10;  devasta- 
tion of,  19  et  seq.;  extent  of 
devastated  area  in,  22,  23, 
58  et  seq.;  war-damage  bill 
of,  59;  assassination  of  non- 
combatants    in,    61;    diifer- 


ence  between  war-damage 
law  of,  and  that  of  France, 
140 ;  building-supplies  in, 
203;  attitude  of,  toward 
conservation  of  war  ruins, 
^20;  agricultural  syndicates 
in,  222  et  seq.;  post-war 
agricultural  activities  in, 
245 

Bethune,  29,  99,  180 

Blerancourt,  98,  109,  110 

Bluzet,  Monsieur,  156,  167 

Bordeaux:  removal  of  French 
Government  to,  7,   156,  255 

Bourges,  11 

Breweries,  damage  to,  in  war 
zone,  48,  49 

Bridges,  damage  done  to,  in 
war  zone,  51 

Briey,  41 

Brincard,  Madame,  99 

British  Army,  agricultural  ac- 
tivities of,  in  war  zone,  168 

British  House  of  Commons, 
effect  of  French  town-plan- 
ning law  on,  145 

British  Red  Cross,  98 

British  Society  of  Friends': 
relief  work  of,  95,  96,  98, 
101,  103  et  seq. 

"Bulletin  des  Regions  Libe- 
rees,"  166 

Bureau  of  Bridges  and  High- 
ways, 215 

Bureau  of  Hygiene,  146 

Bureau  of  Reconstruction,  160 

Bureau  of  Roads  and  High- 
ways, 193 

Bureau  of  Rural  Engineering, 
89 

Bureau  Technique  des  Plans 
de  Villes,  235 

Caisnes,  100 
Cambrai,  55,  219 


INDEX 


267 


Canadian  Red  Cross,  relief 
work  of,  96 

Canals:  loss  on,  in  war  zone, 
39;  damage  to,  51 

Cantonal  commissions,  organ- 
ization of,  167 

Cattle,  loss  of,  in  devastated 
region,  38 

Caumont,  99 

Central  Industrial  Committee, 
59 

Chabannes  -  la  -  Pallice,  Ma- 
dame, 99 

Chalons-sur-Marne,  7,  219 

Chamber  of  Deputies:  action 
of,  on  payment  of  war  dam- 
ages, 124^143,  157 

Chambers  of  Commerce:  work 
of  the,  in  devastated  region, 
228,  229;  French,  249 

Charles,  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
162 

Chartres,  218,  256 

Chateau-Thierry:  7;  advance 
of  Germans  on,  8,  29,  75, 
101,  109,  179;  use  of  adobe 
in  rebuilding  of,  207 

Chauny:  21,  22;  destruction 
of,  25 ;  77 ;  architectural  con- 
test for  rebuilding,  196,  197, 
231,  255 

Ch^ry-Ourscamps,  99 

Clemenceau,  Monsieur,  cited 
on  plans  for  housing  refu- 
gees, 362,  263 

Clermont-en-Argonne,  55,  195 

Clermont-Ferrand,  255 

Cloth  Hall,  attitude  of  Bel- 
gian Government  toward 
ruins  of,  220 

Chemical  industries,  extent  of 
ruin  to,  in  war  zone,  43 

Chicago,  257;  partial  adoption 
of  Rheims  by,  256 

Chifflot,  Monsieur,  162 


Child  Welfare  Bureau  of  the 
American  Red  Cross,  231 

Children,  German  crimes 
against,  10 

Chocarne,  Monsieur,  162,  et 
seq. 

Coal:  pre-war  production  of, 
in  devastated  zone,  4;  loss, 
39,  40,  248 

Comite  Central  Americain,  98 

Comite  de  I'Aisne,  97 

Comit6  de  Compiegne,  97 

Comite  des  Communes  Libe- 
ries de  rOise,  97 

Comite  du  Secours  National, 
97 

Comite  National  d'Action 
pour  la  Reparation  Int6- 
grale  des  Dommages  Causes 
par  le  Fait  de  la  Guerre: 
work  of  the,  124  et  seq.,  228 

Comite  National  de  I'Educa- 
tion  Physique  et  Sportive, 
232 

Commenchon,  99 

Compiegne:  7,  29;  plans  for 
rebuilding,  197 

Comptoir  Central  d' Achats 
Industriels  pour  les  Regions 
Envahies,  210 

Connecticut,  31 

Conseil  d'Etat,  136 

Cooperative  reconstruction  so- 
cieties, 222-240 

Cosse-Brissac,  Madame  de,  97 

Coucy-le-Chateau:  6,  21,  22, 
54;  plans  for  rebuilding, 
197;  ruins  of,  220,  231,  256 

Courdemanges,  225 

"Credit  Hotelier,"  253 

Crocker,  Mrs.,  reconstruction 
work  of,  199 

Crops,  value  of,  lost  in  war 
zone,  38 

Cuts,  100 


268 


INDEX 


D'Eichtal,  Monsieur,  99 
Delaware,  30,  31,  36 
"Delineator,  The,"  Q56 
Deneux,  Monsieur,  part  played 

by,  in  saving  art-objects  in 

Rheims  Cathedral,  2^17,  218 
Departmental   Town-Planning 

Commission,   duties   of   the, 

194 
Department  of  Public  Works 

in  Paris,  134 
D'Escayne,  Madame,  99 
Despagnat,  Monsieur,  163 
Desplas  Bill,  The,  124  et  seq. 
Devine,  Dr.  Edward  T.,  17 
D'Evry,  Madame,  99 
Dijon,  11 
Dike,  Mrs.  97 
Distilleries,  damage  to,  in  war 

zone,  48,  49 
Dixmude,  59 
Dormans,  29 
Douaumont,  221,  243 
Dubois,  Monsieur  Louis,  31,  32 
Dunkerque,  29 

Dunne,  Mayor,  of  Chicago,  257 
Duryea,  Mrs.,  98 

Ecole  Sup^rieure  d'Art  Pub- 
lic, reconstruction  work  of 
th^,  230 

Educational  Commission,  251 

Electrical  industry,  cost  to  re- 
establish the,  in  war  zone, 
42,  43 

Employment  bureau,  French 
Government,  for  demobil- 
ized men,  93 

Engineering  Commission,  251, 
252 

Epernay,  29 

Esmery-Hallon,  239,  240 

Est  Railroad:  damage  to,  50; 
reconstruction  of,  216 

Evian-les-Bains,  12 


Expropriation    law    of    1918, 

147  et  seq. 

Famechon,  Monsieur,  253 

Farmers,  attitude  of,  toward 
cooperative  agricultural  re- 
construction, 255,  ^5Q 

Farmers'  unions,  pre-war 
strength  of,  in  French  war 
zone,  237 

Farms :  5 ;  condition  of,  in  war 
zone,  37;  cost  to  reestablish, 
170;  dead,  of  France,  244 

Faure,  Madame  Jacques,  99 

F^d^ration  des  Architectes, 
reconstruction  work  of  the, 
233 

F^d^ration  Fran^aise  des 
Sinistr^s:  125;  object  of 
the,  228 

F6d6ration  Nationale  du  Bati- 
ment  et  des  Travaux  Pub- 
lics, recent  work  of  the,  233, 
234 

Federation  des  Syndicats 
Commerciaux  du  Departe- 
ment  du  Nord,  236 

Fish-preserving,  loss  on,  in 
war  zone,  38 

Fleury,  fate  of,  243,  244 

Flour-mills,  damage  to,  in  war 
zone,  49 

Fodder,  Government  provi- 
sions for,  for  farm  animals, 
171 

Foire  de  Paris,  exhibition  of 
portable  houses  at  the,  232 

Folks,  Homer,  17 

"Foreigners,"  14 

Forest:  condition  of,  land  in 
devastated  region,  35,  36; 
cost  to  restore,  land  in  war 
zone,  39 

Forestry  Service,  reconstruc- 
tion work  of  the,  174  et  seq. 


INDEX 


26d 


Foundries,  loss  to  France  and 
Belgium  in,  42 

Fourmies,  213;  textile  cooper- 
ative societies  in,  224 

Foyers,  261,  2Q2 

France:  pre-war  prosperity  of 
devastated  area  in,  3  et  seq.; 
retreat  of  population  from 
Northern,  7  et  seq.;  loot  of, 
by  Germans,  10;  devastation 
of  Northern,  19  et  seq.;  ex- 
tent of  ruined  area  in,  22, 
23,  31;  bill  for  war  dam- 
ages to,  itemized,  38-53; 
congestion  in  Northern, 
caused  by  return  of  refu- 
gees, 64,  65;  attitude  of,  to- 
ward private  relief  societies, 
87;  provision  of  Govern- 
ment of,  for  maimed  sol- 
diers, 93,  94;  Government 
of,  pays  all  war  damages, 
124-143;  difference  between 
war-damage  law  of  Belgium 
and  that  of,  139;  effect  of 
war  on  social  legislation  in, 
144  et  seq.;  organization  by 
Government  of,  for  recon- 
struction, 155-221 ;  recon- 
struction task  of,  241  et 
seq.;  housing  problem  in, 
246;  right  of,  to  a  helping 
hand,  263 

France-Amerique,  251 

Franco- American  Mission, 
251 

French  Army,  agricultural  ac- 
tivities of  the,  168 

French  Army  Headquarters 
Sanitary  Service,  90 

French  Red  Cross,  95 

French  Wounded  Emergency 
Fund,  98 

Geoffray,  Madame,  100 


Gerbevillier,  26,  197 

Germans:  invasion  of  Belgium 
and  Northern  France  by,  6 
et  seq.;  advance  of,  on  CM- 
teau-Thierry,  8;  release  of 
French  prisoners  by,  11,  12; 
1918  drive  of,  15;  Rheims 
Cathedral  and  the,  19,  20; 
second  onslaught  of,  20,  21; 
turning  back  of,  at  the 
Marne,  26;  activity  of 
bombing-planes  of,  29;  total 
area  of  France  invaded  by, 
31;  looting  by,  33,  34;  rela- 
tion of,  to  mines  in  war 
zone,  41;  extent  of  theft  of 
ore  by,  42;  damage  done  by, 
to  public  works,  50  et  seq.; 
damage  to  Belgium  by,  58 
et  seq,;  assassination  of 
non-combatants  by,  61;  de- 
struction wrought  by,  in 
allies'  territory,  61,  62;  re- 
treat of,  64;  at  the  Battle  of 
the  Somme,  64,  68,  69,  74, 
75,  76,  105,  109,  123,  155; 
destruction  to  water-supply 
by,  164;  effect  of  retreat  of, 
on  wheat  crop,  168,  172; 
work  of  (j)risoners),  toward 
French  reconstruction,  175, 
177,  180,  195;  ruthlessness 
of,  197,  214;  repairing  of 
Nord  Railroad  destroyed 
by,  215,  216;  bombardment 
of  Rheims  Cathedral  bv, 
217,  218,  220,  222;  at  Noyon, 
241  et  seq.;  extent  of  dam- 
age done  by,  to  industries  in 
war  zone,  250  et  seq.;  at 
Hatton-Chatel,  258 

Girard,  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
162 

Glass  industry,  damage  to,  in 
war  zone,  43 


270 


INDEX 


Grain-mills,     injury     to,     by 

Germans,  49 
Grecourt,  20,  98,  111 
Guiscard,  68 

Ham,  6,  20,  27,  55,  68,  77,  98, 

101,  180 
Hanotaux,  Monsieur   Gabriel, 

97 
Hatton-Chatel,  Q56,  258 
Hazebrouck,  29 
Herpy,  255 
Highways:  damage  to,  in  war 

zone,  51;  reconstruction  of, 

216 
Holman-Black,  Monsieur,  97 
Hombleux,  206 
Hoover  Commission,  110 
Horses:  loss  of,  in  war  zone, 

38;    use    of,    in    reconstruc- 
tion work,  169,  248 
Huiron,  225 
Hunting-land,  total  loss  of,  in 

war  zone,  38 

Imbert,  Monsieur,  9 
Industrial  Reconstruction 

Service,  160,  210,  211 
Industry:   revival   of,   in  war 

zone,   245;    France's,   needs, 

248 
Institut      National      Agrono- 

mique,  236 
Inter-Allied       Congress       of 

World        Agriculture        at 

Beaume,  237 
Inter- A  Hied       Town-Planning 

Conference,  235 
Italy,  war  bill  of,  61 

Jacquemin,  Mayor,  107 
Jardin   d'Acclimatation,  exhi- 
bition of  quick  construction 
at  the,  Paris,  232 


Javal,  Madame,  98 

La  Bassee,  256 

Labor:  post-war  problem  of, 
246  et  seq.;  pre-war  power 
of,  unions  in  devastated  re- 
gion, 237 

Labor  Service,  The,  functions 
of,  162,  183 

Lafferre,  Monsieur,  217 

Landres,  256 

Langlade,  Madame  de,  100 

Laon,  6,  219,  256 

Larboye,  100 

Lassigny,  99 

Leather  industry,  damage  to, 
in  war  zone,  49 

Lebrun,  Monsieur:  61,  158, 
159;  cited,  261 

Lefevre,  Madame,  100 

Lens:  pre-war  and  post-war 
pictures  of,  21,  25;  present- 
day  condition  of  mines  at, 
40,  77,  180,  181;  restoration 
of  ruins  of,  242 

Leon,  Monsieur  Paul,  217 

LeSeigneur,  Monsieur,  162 

Letrosne,  Monsieur,  99 

Lille:  10,  180,  195;  industrial 
conditions  in,  to-day,  245 

Longwy,  41 

Lorraine,  84 

Lou  vain,  59-61 

Luchaire,  Monsieur  and  Ma- 
dame, 100 

Lumber,  total  loss  on,  in  war 
zone,  39 

Lyon,  256 

Machinery,  damage  to,  in  war 

zone,  44,  45 
Maisons  de  tout,  261 
Maitrot,  Monsieur,  162 
Malaria,  90 
Marin,  Monsieur,  219 


INDEX 


271 


Marne,  The:  26,  27,  54,  64,  96, 
101,  155,  198,  199,  203,  237, 
243 

Marseilles,  256 

Maryland,  31 

Materials,  Service  of,  work  of 
the,  204  et  seq. 

Maucl^re,  Monsieur,  174; 
cited  on  adoption  of  towns, 
258-260 

Maucourt,  99 

Meaux,  26 

Meuse,  26,  55,  96,  195,  203 

Meuthe-et-Moselle,  27,  41,  54, 
203,  237 

Mines,  effect  of  German  inva- 
sion upon,  39  et  seq. 

Ministry  of  Agriculture,  158, 
160,  161,  168,  172 

Ministry  of  Armament,  211 

Ministry  of  Commerce,  158, 
160,  210 

Ministry  of  Fine  Arts,  53,  217 

Ministry  of  Industrial  Recon- 
stitution,  32,  161,  204,  227 

Ministry  of  the  Interior,  7,  15; 
report  of,  26,  27,  28,  29,  44, 
70,  74;  appropriation  of,  to 
meet  needs  of  civilians  in 
war  zone,  80,  111;  in  rela- 
tion to  reconstruction,  156 
et  seq.,  193 

Ministry  of  Liberated  Re- 
gions, 32,  34,  78,  79,  80  et 
seq.,  87,  96,  121-123,  143, 
159-169,  passim;  206;  func- 
tions of  the,  211  et  seq.,  215, 
224,  234 

Ministry  of  Public  Works, 
1.58,  193,  194,  215 

Ministry  of  War,  7,  15 

Mirman,  Monsieur,  84  et  seq. 

"Model  Types  of  Agricultural 
Buildings."  190 

Mondescourt,  100 


Montdidier:  29,  112;  plans  for 

rebuilding,  197 
Moreau,  Madame,  99 
Morgan,  Miss,  97 
Mulhouse,  256 
Munition    plants,    peace-time 

activities  of,  212 
Musee    Social,    reconstruction 

work  of  the,  229,  230 


Nancy:  26,  29,  54;  refugees  in, 
85;  plans  for  rebuilding,  197 

National  Federation  of  Build- 
ers, 33 

National  Hotel  Syndicate,  253 

Nesle,  20,  98,  99 

Neuflieux,  99 

Neuilly,  107 

New  Jersey,  36 

Nieuport,  59 

Noel,  Senator,  97 

Nomeny,  plans  for  rebuilding, 
197 

Non-combatants,  in j  uries  to, 
56  et  seq. 

Nord  Railroad,  damage  to,  50, 
55 1  repair  of,  215,  256 

Notre-Dame,  Cathedral  of: 
injury  to,  by  bombing- 
plane,  56,  218 

Noyon,  6;  destruction  of  ca- 
thedral at,  55,  68,  97,  99;  de- 
struction and  reconstruction 
at,  241  et  seq. 


Odier,  Madame,  98 

CEuvre  des  Colonies  de  Va- 
cances  de  la  Chaussee  du 
Maine,  96 

Office  of  Agricultural  Recon- 
struction, estimate  of  the,  to 
replace  losses  in  the  war 
zone,  Sn  et  seq.,  162 


272 


INDEX 


Office  du  Batiment  et  des  Tra- 
vaux  Publics,  33;  construc- 
tion activities  of  the,  234, 
235 

Office  National  de  Tourisme, 
25S 

Ogier,  Monsieur,  9 

Oil  industry,  damage  to,  in 
war  zone,  49 

Oise,  11,  2T,  55,  95,  171,  195, 

Oiseau,  Monsieur,  attitude  of, 
toward  cooperative  recon- 
struction, 225,  226 

Paper-mills,  damage  to,  in 
war  zone,  49 

Pargny,  103,  104,  198 

Paris:  8;  shelling  of,  by  long- 
range  guns,  29,  76,  161,  256 

Pas-de-Calais,  55,  171,  176; 
building  resources  of,  203; 
cooperative  reconstruction 
work  at,  227 

Passchendaele  Ridge,  23 

Peasants,  attitude  of  French, 
toward  war,  66  et  seq. 

Permanent  Reconstruction 
Service:  162;  functions  of 
the,  179  et  seq.;  in  relation 
to  raw  materials,  202  et  seq, 

Peronne,  27,  98 

Perouse,  Madame,  99 

Pettoncourt,  256 

Poelkappelle,  23 

Polk,  Miss  Daisy,  reconstruc- 
tion activities  of,  199,  200 

Pont-a-Mousson :  85 ;  plans 
for  rebuilding.  197,  255 

Population :  congestion  of, 
back  of  war  zone,  11;  pre- 
war and  post-war,  of  devas- 
tated region,  23;  problem  of 
sheltering  returning,  178  et 
seq. 


Porch6,  Monsieur,  162 
Pomprez,  incident  at,  71,  72 
PrSfets,  relief  work  of  the,  80 

et  seq. 
Printing-plants,  damage  to,  in 

war  zone,  49 
Prisoners,  enslavement  of,  by 

Germans,  10,  11  et  seq, 
Provence   pour   le   Nord,   La, 

96,  97 


Quesmy,  99 
Quimper,  15 


Railways:  5;  damage  to,  in 
war  zone,  50,  51;  recon- 
struction work  on,  182; 
progress  of  reconstruction 
of,  215,  216 

Rambouillet,  255 

Real  Estate  Service,  estab- 
lishment of  the,  162 

Reconstruction:  agricultural, 
31  et  seq.;  estimated  cost 
of,  materials,  33;  recent 
laws  affecting,  144-154; 
French  Government  organ- 
ization for,  155  et  seq.;  Bu- 
reau, 160;  changes  of,  or- 
anization,  161  et  seq.;  needs 
of  the,  department,  190;  co- 
operative societies,  191  et 
seq.;  progress  of  perma- 
nent, 197  et  seq.;  Govern- 
ment efforts  to  establish 
standard  prices  for,  201; 
private  organizations  for, 
purposes,  222-240;  simplify- 
ing the,  problem,  245,  246; 
philanthropic  phase  of,  254 
et  seq.;  amateur  efforts  at 
house,  238-240;  needs  of 
France,  2^41  et  seq. 


INDEX 


273 


Refugees:  distribution  of,  7; 
condition  of,  8;  provision 
for,  by  French  Government, 
8,  9,  11  et  seq.;  arrange- 
ments for  housing  of,  14  et 
seq.;  starting  the,  again  in 
life,  73;  return  of,  after 
Battle  of  the  Marne,  64-79, 
75  et  seq.;  at  Rheims,  92; 
private  relief  for,  95-123; 
work  of  American  Red 
Cross  in  behalf  of,  119  et 
seq.;  Government  care  of, 
155  et  seq.;  provisions  made 
for  return  of,  163;  transpor- 
tation of,  165,  166;  cession 
to,  of  means  of  reconstruc- 
tion, 169;  reconstruction 
work  of  returning,  204;  Cl^- 
menceau  cited  on  plans  for 
housing,  262,  263 

Renaissance  des  Cites,  195, 
196,  204,  231  et  seq. 

Rennes,  256 

Repair  shops.  Government, 
172 

Reparceling  of  Rural  Prop- 
erty Law,  148  et  seq. 

Revault,  Monsieur  Louis,  161 

Revigny,  26,  195 

Rey,  Monsieur,  197 

Rheims:  6,  7;  ruin  of,  by  Ger- 
mans, 19,  20,  24,  25,  29,  54, 
66,  68,  77,  167,  180;  example 
of,  in  contract-letting  for 
clearing  ruins,  181,  182; 
plans  for  rebuilding,  195, 
196;  preservation  of  tapes- 
tries in.  Cathedral,  217; 
brick-making  in,  for  recon- 
struction, 207 ;  clearing 
away  debris  of.  Cathedral, 
219,  220;  the  future  city  of, 
243 ;  industrial  conditions  in, 
to-day,  245;  attitude  of  na- 


tives of,  toward  sightseers, 
254;  partial  adoption  of,  by 
Chicago,  256 

Rhode  Island,  30,  31 

Ribecourt,  99 

Rockefeller  Tuberculosis 

Commission,  activities  of,  in 
France,  231 

Rolling-mills,  present  condi- 
tion of,  in  war  zone,  41,  42 

Rouen,  11 

Roye,  98,  102,  197,  213,  255 

"Rue  de  Californie,"  in  Ville- 
mont,  200 


Ste.  Aldegonde,  Madame  de, 
99 

Sainte-Chapelle,  Paris,  218 

St.  Denis,  218 

St.  Die,  26,  56 

St.  Georges,  256 

St.  Gervais,  church  of,  56 

St.  Gobain,  22 

St.  Laurent-Blang}^^,  256 

St.  Mihiel:  55;  incident  at,  72, 
73;  reconstruction  coopera- 
tion in,  224 

St.  Nazaire,  256 

St.  Quentin,  7,  54,  180;  use  of 
adobe  in  rebuilding,  207, 
219,  256 

St.  Remy,  church  of,  at 
Rheims,  54 

St.  Ren^-Taillandier,  Ma- 
dame, 99 

Sampigny,  256 

Sanitation,  5 

Schools,  163 

Seaports,  damage  to,  in  devas- 
tated region,  51 

Secretariat  Fran^ais  des  Vil- 
lages Liberes,  Le,  99 

Serbia,  German  wrongs  to,  62 

Sermaize-les-Bains:  relief 


274 


INDEX 


work  in,  103,  104;  progress 
of  rebuilding,  198 

Service  des  Travaux  de  Pre- 
miere Urgence:  duties  of 
the,  87,  88;  activities  of,  88 
et  seq.,  163 

Sezanne,  26 

Sheep :  loss  of,  in  war  zone,  38, 
248 

Shurtleff,  Rev.  and  Mrs.,  97 

Sillard,  Monsieur,  163 

Skinner,  Miss,  of  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  956,  25S 

Smith  College  Relief  Unit, 
20,  98,  101,  110  et  seq. 

Societe  Aerienne  Fran^aise, 
235 

Societe  des  Agriculteurs  de 
France,  97,  236 

Societe  des  Architectes  Diplo- 
mes:  competition  of  the, 
223;  reconstruction  work  of 
the,  233 

Societe  Centrale  des  Archi- 
tectes, 233 

Societe  de  Medicine  Publique 
et  du  Genie  Sanitaire,  232, 
233 

Society  Nationale  pour  I'En- 
couragement  a  FAgricul- 
ture,  236,  237 

Societe  de  Tiers  Mandataires, 
204,  227 

Soil,  richness  of,  in  war  zone, 
3,  4 

Soissons,  6,  75,  109,  180,  219 

Somme:  11,  20,  27,  55;  battle 
of  the,  68,  95;  reestablish- 
ment  of  commune  in  the, 
163,  164,  171,  172,  173,  177, 
178;  building  supplies  of 
the,  203;  experimental  re- 
building in  the,  207,  222,  230 

Students'  Atelier  Reunions, 
The,  97 


Sugar-mills,     damage     to,     in 

war  zone,  48 
Suippes,  256 
Superior  Council  of  Hygiene, 

130 
Suquet,  Colonel,  162 
Switzerland:      9;      relief      of 

French  citizens  by,  11  et  seq. 
Syndicats  d'Initiative,  223,  253 

Tanning  industry,  damage  to 
the,  by  Germans,  49 

Tardieu,  Monsieur,  251 

Technical  Service,  The,  159 
et  seq. 

Tergnier,  25 

Textile  industry:  pre-war  con- 
dition of  the,  4 ;  44-48 ;  dam- 
age to,  in  war  zone,  44,  45 

Thann,  96 

Thibaut,  Madame,  97 

Toal,  29 

Touring-Club  de  France,  252 

Town-Planning  Law,  French, 
144  et  seq. 

Towns,  adoption  of,  255 

Tracy-le-val,  195,  231 

Tramways,  damage  to,  in  war 
zone,  50,  51 

Transportation  Service:  162; 
functions  of  the,  184,  185 

Troyes,  11 

Union  Centrale  des  Victimes 
des  Dommages  Causes  par 
la  Guerre,  235,  236 

Union  des  Comites  Depart- 
ementaux  des  Sinistres,  125 

Union  des  Femmes  de  France, 
99 

United  States:  41,  235;  hous- 
ing problem  in,  246;  252; 
attitude  of,  toward  aiding 
devastated  region  in  France, 
255 


INDEX 


275 


United  States  Army  Univer- 
sity at  Beaume,  237 

United  States  Navy  Reserve 
Corps,  102 

Urgency  Work  Service,  162, 
165;  functions  of  the,  174 
et  seq.;  2^01  et  seq, 

Vailly,   plans    for    rebuilding, 

197 
Valenciennes,      reconstruction 

work  in,  197 
Yassincourt,     rebuilding     of, 

198,  199 
Vaux,  25,  243,  S44 
Verdun:  25,  26,  29,  66-,  plans 

for  rebuilding,  179;  219,  221, 

244 
Verne,  Monsieur,  99 
Versailles,  256 
Viaducts,  damage  to,  in  war 

zone,  51 
Vic-sur-Aisne,   101,  109 
Vienne-le-Chateau,    plans    for 

rebuilding,  197 
Village   Reconstitute,  Le,  99 
Villemin,  Monsieur,  33 
Villequier-Aumont,  99 
Villers-Carbonnel,  cooperative 

labor  society  in,  224 


Vitrimont:  2^^  rebuilding  of, 
199,  200;  adoption  of,  by  an 
American  committee,   '256 

Vitry-le-Fran^ais:  2Q,  96; 
progress  of  rebuilding  near, 
199 ;  225 

Vosges,  27,  5Q 

Vouziers,  25Q 

War-damage  Law:  promulga- 
tion of,  127;  scope  of,  128, 
129 
War-indemnity  Bill,  167 
Warren,  Mrs.  Whitney,  256 
Water-courses,     loss     on,     in 

war  zone,  39 
Wells:    menace    of,   in    devas- 
tated region,  89,  90;  restor- 
ation of,  183 
Wheat,  34 

Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, recreation  work  of, 
in  France,  261   et  seq. 

Young  Women's  Christian 
Association,  work  of,  in 
French  factory  towns,  261 

Ypres:  59,  61;  ruins  of, 
cathedral  to  be  conserved 
by  Belgian  Government,  220 


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